Morning all.
Finally. The heavens opened yesterday and down came the rain. Much needed rain. Scorched grass and wilting vegetables is a sorry sight but this morning, things look a little greener…
Unlike the grass in Turin. Aaron Ramsey can’t be happy with the way his career has gone since leaving Arsenal. Juventus are trying to sell him after just one disastrous season. Regrets? I bet he has a few but at least he’s picked up £400k a week for his troubles. Mesut Ozil is in a similar position. Arsenal don’t want him and on £350k a week, no other club seems to want him either.
Our number 10 has been talking to The Athletic about the pay cuts and insists the players were forced to make the decision too quickly and without all the information.
‘As players, we all wanted to contribute. But we needed more information and many questions were unanswered,’ he told The Athletic.
‘Everyone was fine with a deferral while there was so much uncertainty – I would have been OK to take a bigger share – and then a cut if required, once the football and financial outlook was clearer. But we were rushed into it without proper consultation. For anyone in this situation, you have a right to know everything, to understand why it is happening and where the money is going. But we didn’t get enough details, we just had to give a decision. It was far too quick for something so important and there was a lot of pressure.’
‘I guess that’s because it is me and people have been trying for two years to destroy me, to make me unhappy, to push an agenda they hope will turn the supporters against me and pain a picture that is not true.’
The Arsenal pay cut aside, with the amount of money footballers have earned throughout their careers, you’d think if they were unhappy for whatever reason, they’d take a pay cut if it meant they could move to a different club and get back to doing what they’re supposed to love doing. Playing football. Ozil can’t be happy with not playing so why waste another year of his life sitting on the bench at Arsenal?
It’ll be interesting to see what Aaron Ramsey does. I’m darned sure I wouldn’t hang around at a club where I know I’m not wanted and I don’t think he will either. Plenty of English clubs would love to snap him up that’s for sure.
Maybe Fulham, where Calum Chambers services appear to be in demand. The back pages suggest they’re readying a £12 million bid which if true, I think is a bit low. Harry Maguire was sold to Utd for £60 odd million and I certainly don’t think the gulf between them is £48 million.
There are many rumours involving Arsenal players. Lucas Torreira is linked to a swap deal with Roma’s 23 year old midfielder Amadou Diawara which would be an odd one considering he only joined the Italian club last summer. We know Torreira isn’t against leaving because he’s said so himself. Or at least he’s been quoted as saying as such but he’s also been quoted as saying:
“I am happy to be at Arsenal, I feel very comfortable and they are a very big club.
“We will see what happens in the future.”
As we all will. I actually thought we’d have heard something more definitive by now. Coutinho and William have been joining since Christmas it seems yet still there’s no news.
Arsenal have moved ahead of Manchester United in the race to sign Lille centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes,according to the Daily Star and The Mirror claim Real Madrid now want to keep hold of Dani Ceballos which is Mikel Arteta’s fault because he played him too much and he played well. I know, a ridiculous suggestion. There’s a lot more transfer gossip but as we know, much of it is pure speculation. A made up story linking us to a player so that when he signs for another club, those same berks can write about how we as a club ‘failed’ to sign him.
It’s funny really because after reading in The Mirror about how well Frank Lampard’s first season has gone, I wondered what the media actually deem to be a ‘good season’. If a top four spot, getting battered 7-2 on aggregate by Bayern Munich and losing an FA Cup Final is considered to be good, then Mikel Arteta’s first season in management must have been ‘great’. An A – perhaps?
Five months (ish) in his job, one trophy, much improvement all round and not only did Arsenal defeat Lampard’s team in the FA Cup Final but Sheffield Utd and Man City before them. Throw in the defeat of the newly crowned League Champions and hey, pretty impressive. But as Lampard holidays in the south of France after an impressive first season, for Mikel Arteta, all eyes turn to the transfer window.
As I’ve written before, unless a top club wins the League or any of the Cups on offer, it’ll always be the bridesmaid rather than the bride. The football writers cannot suggest securing a top four spot is some kind of great achievement because not that long ago, the same was considered a ‘failure’ when Arsene Wenger was around.
This coming season is one I’m really looking forward to because Mikel Arteta won’t be trying to make up for a previous five months of poor results. There’s bound to be a few additions to this squad over the next few weeks just as a few departures are to be expected but what Mikel Arteta can do with them is the most important. Personally, I think he’ll prove to be a better manager than Frank Lampard. Better than Ole Gunnar Solskjær too..
See you in the comments guys.
Morning Rico, what sports hacks write is easily disposable that’s why they can say that Wenger was a failure for going X amount of years without a trophy but by the same token never stating that Tottenham as a club are a failure because they’ve not won a trophy since Harold Wilson told us the pound in your pocket has not been devalued.
Very little of what hacks write carries any literary weight, it’s all throw away rubbish that nobody remembers and thus it allows them to contradict themselves on a regular basis it’s also why newspapers are almost dead.
Hacks are always right, they’re never wrong and 99% of their output is shite…
Had a shower out east this morning but according to the forecast we’re in for almost three days of heavy rain and some cooler less stuffy temperatures thankfully…
Willian has probably signed already but the club do like to sit on these deals and make a big publicity hoo haw, maybe they’ll announce everything, complete with bells, whistles and dancing girls if and when Gabriel signs as well. Tbh I’m all a little bored with it already, the whole charade seems too staged for my liking.
Morning Kev. Well said. The transfer window is little more than a Sky Sports drama and as we know, a storyline goes on and on until Jim White dons his yellow tie.
It’s a joke really..
Did you see Ozil’s comment?
“My position is clear,” says the 31-year-old. “I’m here through to the last day of our agreement and I’ll give everything I have for this club. Situations like these will never break me, they only make me stronger. I showed in the past that I can come back into the team and I will show it again.”
What a shame that someone as talented as Ozil has lost sight of the ball. He is just wasting the remainder of his career and making enemies instead of friends. Does he really need any more money?
Morning all.
I’m over the Ozil situation, and just hope we come to an arrangement that sees him continuing his career elsewhere.
Enough already.
I will not criticise him for not copping a salary cut, but it’s clear he’s not a part of Artetas plans so best for both parties he leaves imo.
Db10. He’s a plonker! If his intentions are to work his way back into the team, why go public with his views?
Working hard, keeping his head down and mouth shut would give him a better chance of playing again…
Trouble is Scott, when the majority of the other players and staff take a pay cut, to not do the same doesn’t look good.
Nice post, Rico.
Fcuked if I would give up £350k per week!…………………dont care how rich I was and I aint!
Always an opportunity for some in these times whether it`s having a container full of face masks or well full of anti-bacterial hand wash or a rich american who has made £300M in lock down from research into a vaccine for Covid-19 from the bacteria of old beaver syrups!
Good morning all.
Not a word on the Willian situation since he was “reported” to be undergoing a medical at Arsenal Since he didn’t make the Chelsea squads for either the FA Cup Final or their Champions League humiliation one wonders if there is. after all, some truth in the story of his long standing achilles injury.
The only genuine Arsenal news is that Zac Swanson has joined Maastricht on loan.
My point being incase it does not register…………………Kroenke makes £300M and expects his staff to take a pay cut!……….and not forgetting the current redundances!…………………no agrument!
Thanks Lc, what Stan and his company earn is irrelevant surely? He’s not to permitted under FFP to invest his own money into the club to cover losses, or at least I don’t think he can.
I am not against Ozil in anyway with the paycut issue. His money, his choice. But denying the squad a healthy first team member during a crucial end to the season is terrible. Same as Guendozi. They have no excuse to give, I will ever understand. And my take is for both to leave if they even care a bit about AFC, not to talk about loving the club.
I suppose it all depends on whether he can afford to dodge the bullets for 5 years or so . So that any misdemeanour gets timed out.
Yes Rico, I did read some of what Ozil said and tbh when you see Arsenal sacking 55 staff and laying off the majority of our scouting staff on top, then I have to say that Ozil had a point in being suspicious of the clubs true intentions…
Whoever is being sincere – and I doubt that either Kroenke or Ozil are that sincere – asking the playing and coaching staff to take a pay cut to save jobs and then sacking people anyway doesn’t look great all it shows how lacking in empathy those in charge of our club are.
Anyone with a modicum of common sense would have seen that it doesn’t look great, but they did it anyway and that says it all really!
I get that Kev but I suppose one could look at it from a different angle and wonder what would have happened had the cuts not taken place. It’s not great from the outside admittedly but there must be a long term plan unfolding. We’re just not privy to it.
Stan’s wealth continues to grow at the expense of……….well, he doesn’t care, as long as it grows lol
No rain in this part of Norfolk, sunny, light breeze, currently 25c heading for a forecast high of 28.
Second test to watch this morning. Snooker, O’Sullivan vs Selby, this afternoon.
To be fair Arsefab, for the season just gone, their exclusion made little difference. If they are both here next season and included in the squad, that’s a problem imo. I think Guendouzi will be gone but Ozil, well unless Arteta has a huge change of heart, he’ll be sat at home whilst being paid handsomely.
You can’t know that for sure Scott. He must care about the club, just in a different way to an Arsenal fan. The money he spent on buying the club would suggest he cares greatly about it being a success story.
Rico, he’s an investor and makes no bones about that, so I do not hold that against him but I don’t think he has any affection for the club at all.
Hi Rico and all Arsenal need its fans to buy memberships so if the club has Signed a new player but holding back the announcement shows disrespect for the fans and their is nothing stopping KSE from becoming another sponsorship
I thik it`s relevant, Rico, as Arsenal is one of his companies in probably a vast portfolio and he makes money to the tune of £300M in lockdown and expects his employees to give up their wages!……….am I seeing something different here?.
As for caring about the club, yes he does, but only because it`s his business, he has not got the emotional tie like us, he probably would have bought any EPL club at the time if he thought he was on to a winner.
It`s completely different to say the owners at W Ham and Spuds who are also fanatical supporters before they were owners!……………………………….although Spuds are a classless bunch of tossers, they charged the councill £33,000 to use the new shithole as a food bank in the crisis!
Not in a similar way to the owners of City etc, no Scott. Totally agree there.
But, I’m not sure why anyone expects Kroenke to invest hundreds of millions of his own money on buying players when the club is self sustaining. As far as i understand it, Arsenal have always lived within their own means, certainly long before Stan took ownership.
With that theory Lc, why haven’t the owners of all the big companies who’ve made job cuts, not done the same?
It’s common knowledge that under Arsene Wenger, the staffing numbers increased and I believe compared to other PL clubs, we are very top heavy in staff numbers. Who is the baddie here, the people running the club more efficiently or those who created jobs which perhaps in hindsight, need not have been created?
Hi Geoff.
They have, Rico and great that is having the moral high ground compared to City, Chavs etc!
😆
Scenario!:………………………………..I run a company making millions by employing eunuchs to do the bikini lines of the likes of Shakira, JLo, etc` and covid arrives and I make redundancy`s and put some on furlough then one of the eunuchs catches me the next day in the Ferrrari dealers buying a new car, but the eunuch hasn`t the cajones to confront me!………………who sticks up for these eunuchs?…………………it`s not fair!
Unfortunately nobody outside the inner circles of Arsenal really know what is happening within the club or exactly what the plan is. Yet, people make assumptions and drew conclusions on nothing less than what they read on sites that exist only to get them to click on inflammatory headlines so they can earn a bit more on advertising. They are click-bait sites and they know how to hook Arsenal supporters into their imaginary fantasies. They really don’t care whether there is any truth in their fodder whatsoever.
Fans will moan that there is no solid news or suspect the emotional connection of the Kroenkes. It is meaningless and proves nothing, but the scraps of misinformation play into individual narratives. The human mind being what is, great stories begin to unfold. Neither Arsenal nor any club that I can think about are in the business of telling the fans everything that is going on. That’s not the way that business works. If you, for some completely irrational reason, hate all things Kroenke then you will believe, with no substantive proof, that he has earned 300 million quid sitting on his backside. But you won’t know how much he has paid out at the same time or how his US investments have been hit by COVID. Nor will you care because your mantra is that Stan is a rich bastard who doesn’t give a shit about his massive investment and that’s that. When things go wrong, it’s his fault. When we win the cup it’s the work of Mikel, but Stan remains a bastard.
The internet has a lot to answer for in my opinion.
No truer thing you have said, Adam………………… that Kroenke is a rich bastard!…………………….it`s also uncanny !…………..how you know I hate all things Kroenke!…………………it`s not something I really make public! 😆
LC. I was stretching my powers of observation a bit there. 😃
My phone says 94% chance of rain and thunder for next 3 hours!………………and for once they are right, it`s lovely and refreshing………..I`ve now stopped sweating!……………………..and don`t have to spend an hour watering the plants tonight..yippeee!
Their is a big difference between owning a business and a football club if Kroenke wants to run Arsenal fc as a business that’s fine but he should pay for everything out of his own money and not ask his staff (players) to take a pay cut or donate some of their pay to help run his business nor does he have a wright to ask fans to buy memberships to help run his business And if he wants fans to buy memberships then he should give the fans a say on how the club is run
I’d rather we as a club run properly and fairly Lc.
The Ferrari analogy is totally irrelevant imo. Personal finances are very different to a company’s money.
Adam, well said.
I suppose when it came to appointing Arteta, Stan Kroenke had nothing to do with it either. Personally, I don’t care if he or his family earned £300m during lockdown or £30.00. We know the board will not spend money they haven’t earned and I really don’t have a problem understanding that. In fact it’s logical in my opinion.
I think you totally missed the point Adam was making Lc.
Football is a business nowadays Geoff. I believe when Kroenke took over he vowed to continue running it in a similar way to which it’s always been run. This fan membership thing you mention isn’t going to happen imo and I doubt a change of ownership will either.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8623559/Super-agent-Kia-Joorabchian-SLAMS-Arsenals-past-recruitment-defends-role-transfers.html
link:
https://www.eurosport.com/football/premier-league/2019-2020/mesut-ozil-ill-decide-when-i-leave-arsenal-not-other-people._sto7835934/story.shtml
I didn`t miss Adams point, Rico, I just did not agree with it all as I dont think the press make up every story, some are true and I prefer to say believe that Kroenke did make the £300m rumour because he is rich and a bastard! hahaha……………… but I respect his opinion as I do yours and it`s not to say either of us is right and in a way you are listening to Adams “rumours” as gospel as I am with The Metro , Daily Star and The Sun!…………………………….all in good humour though, Rico, as you should know by now…………………
😆
………………………you`re not alone though if sometimes you dont get as plenty of my FB friends, all 29 of them including my dead brother, sometimes dont get me and my wife constantly slates me with……” they all haven`t got your sense of humour!”…………..to which I constantly have to reply again and again…………………….”they should know my only intention is humour, nothing else!”………………….it`s all about knowing my intent!
I think I know what Stans intent is, but I dont think he would get my humour, but his syrup would, probably be rolling on stans head with laughter!
The rain has made it so that should stop Look East demanding that we save water for a few days .We could of course dig a few reservoirs and stop pumping it out to sea .
The media are using the Ozil situation to do it’s best to unsettle the club and if that don’t work are starting a Martinez blackmail story to keep the negativity in the forefront..
The wonders of being an Arsenal supporter.
Potter, we’ve had about twenty minutes of very light drizzle so no doubt Look East will be issuing flash flood warnings and showing footage of cars and lorries struggling to get through two inch deep puddles.
Morning all.
As much as we (me, and I’m happy to admit it) question Stans care factor for the club, there are plenty who question the same of Ozil.
Why is that any different?
How many of his critics in this group have spoken to Mesut???
I’ll guarantee the answer is nil.
Why is it many thought Ramsey wanted out, refused to accept an offer yet the man himself said he accepted the clubs offer, only to see the club suddenly retract it without reason?
Ramsey says one thing.
The club don’t refute it yet most accepted Ramsey was to blame???
Why do people choose to believe their own version of events that goes against everything we’ve actually been told?
Yes I agree, the Internet has plenty to answer for, but none of us should pretend we are innocent of making assumptions based on what we’ve read.
We have opinions.
We readily accept anything we read that supports our own opinion.
Well, it’s official! Willian is a gooner!
He looks soooo much better in red!!
We have a very talented player who we are paying £350,000 a week and he’s not even getting to sit on the bench.
That player has made it abundantly clear that he has no intention of leaving the club before his contract expires next summer. That means we are committed to paying him another £18.6 million to hang around the training ground where he is as welcome as a fart in a phone box.
There are two alternatives.
1) Pay him the £18.6 million now to terminate his contract and be rid of him.
2) Play him and, hopefully, get some sort of return for his wages.
Cicero, why is it people supported RVP, Alexis and others who basically refused to honour their contracts, yet crucify Ozil for honouring his?
Seems a strange world we live in 🙂
I wonder who Willian, a right sided winger/midfielder, is going to displace. Pepe? Maitland-Niles? Nelson? Whoever it is, we are going to be forced to sell one or more to be able to afford his wages.
Scott, both of the players you mention were quite happy to play whenever they were selected. Both gave of their best and neither sulked and feigned injury as Ozil has done for the past couple of seasons. Since, in fact, he was awarded his ludicrous salary.
Welcome to Willian. Excellent player and I hope he can do it for us.
After reading what Ozil said it puts Arteta in an awkward situation if he backs Ozil he will turn the board against him how ever if what Ozil said is true and Arteta backs the board he will loose the respect of the players
Cicero,
They refused to honour their contract.
They wanted out.
RVP spent the best part of his career injured and after one season of good health decided he was too good for us.
Pure scum, imo.
Alexis sulked every time he didn’t receive a pass while giving the ball away to opponents in record numbers For the League but he did run around waving his arms and pretending to care 🙂 🙂
Adam, agreed.
He’s the one Chelsea player the last few years I’d love to have seen join us and now it’s happened.
I’m rapt!!
I think that there is a difference between Ozil and RVP and Alexis . Both of the latter agitated to get the squad improved , both held discussions with the club and asked to see the club’s anbitions on the pitch . They did no more than most of the clubs supporters would have wanted to and made their decisions based on their answers.
Ozil seems to have fallen out because of his attitude to the club in general and the financial policy imposed on the club’s employees. I can’t understand his reluctance to leave knowing as he does that he is not wanted and as much as it’s his perfect right to see out his contract he is wasting a career that will end in a couple of years .
I have said earlier that his friendship with Erdoghan ( best man at his wedding ) who not only is President of the country but created Basaksehir recently crowned Turkey’s super liga champions ( https://atalayar.com/en/content/basaksehir-settles-top-turkish-football-thanks-erdogans-drive ) is the reason for his stalling . Out of contract Champions league football , he will go when it suits both of them .
Potter, RVP staying healthy would’ve helped us.
Alexis being a team player would have helped us.
They both believed they were too good for us.
They probably were at the time .
They had no issue joining us.
Players and agents aren’t bigger than clubs, though they often think they are.
Neither left for less money, and that’s what many fans are demanding of Ozil.
Ozil should go, no question at all, but he’s entitled to earn what we promised him, at least for next season, whether he’s with us or not.
Potter. Couldn’t agree more about Alexis and RVP.
Ozil complains that the club doesn’t support him politically while at the same time supporting Erdogan who was apparently best man at his wedding. The Turkish president’s record on human rights is truly appalling and the club’s non-political stance isn’t something they have just come up with. They are bright enough to know what dangerous ground it is, especially in this hyper-weird world. Ozil is playing with politics and words and his rather pathetic naive and deflecting attitudes are turning out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
But if Ozil was playing well and tried to force a transfer because Arsenal wasn’t challenging for trophies he’d be cast the villain as well. This is Ozil’s last payday, I can see why he’s riding it out. It’s Arsenal’s fault because their transfer policybwas so shit that Ozil, coming off a mediocre season, had them over a barrel.
Scott, you say that Ozil is entitled to earn what we promised him. One way or another he will get £18.6 million, he just will not earn it though.
Cicero, he’s never earned that money.
From what I can recall the fans made a song about RVP and it went some thing like – Robin van persie plays when he wants to.
May be instead of having a go at Ozil for asking the club to honor it’s contract we should look at the board, selectors and scouts from Wenger’s last few fears wright up until now and ask have they earned their wages.
Geoff, my hatred of RVP came after he publicly criticised the club that had stood by him year after year when he was injured, and during personal problems he had.
He was never complaining about the clubs “lack of ambition” when sitting in the stands injured and “earning” his large salary, yet had one superb season and is suddenly too good for us.
He owed Arsenal, Arsenal did not owe him, imo.
In my opinion, Ozil should realize (but I think he already did) that he created a delicate situation around him, where he does not count for the team, does not want to train, does not strive, is out of context, etc., and that he should, cancel the contract and look for a new direction for your life. Extending this situation is bad for everyone and for everyone’s image.
personally I feel their is no loyalty or trust any more between the player’s and the clubs they play for, now it’s all about the money. Then when players leave or get sold they start rubbishing the club about how it is run or the coach instead of just walking away and say thank you. By rubbishing the club it only end ‘s up turning the fans against them even if deep down some of the things they said we may agree with but our heart will all ways back the arsenal badge,
Compare the squad when RVP joined to when he left , I agree he spent a lot of time in the treatment room but he witnessed a steady decline in quality on the pitch . Compare Henry , Bergkamp , Pires Campbell, Cole , Reyes , Fabregas , Lljungberg and Toure to Walcott , Gervinho , Bendtner , Song , Koscielny , Nasri ,Rosicky and Ramsey . In my opinion only Rosicky would be in the class of the joining team and just for you Ramsey at a stretch.
Alexis was another player who like so many before and after him has found that the grass is not greener when they go but he too saw a watering down of the squad .
They both were ambitious and wanted trophies and if we are honest apart from the F.A Cup we were unlikely to get them without major investment . We had names in his time but the injuries to Diaby , Rosicky , Cazorla , Wilshere and ramsey meant that he was often carrying the team on his own rather like Aubameyang is at the moment who strangely is making similar noises about squad strengthening at the moment.
JM. If he put the effort in and bought into what Mikel is (obviously) doing, then surely he would be playing. Arteta played him continuously until something that he didn’t like happened. So I think you are right.
After all, didn’t AMN and Ceballos fall short of what MA said were non-negotiables?
They both responded. So Mesut trying to muddy the waters with politics sounds somewhat hollow to me.
Geoff it used to be “” he scores when he wants “” but of course it got distorted by opposing fans.
RVP was one of my favourite players. It was daft to let him go by refusing to strengthen the team.
think the water was all ready muddy before the Ozil statement.
Too many players leaving and saying the club has no ambition. What is Ozil and his family meant to do, just sit back and take all the criticism from every one.
How about the club or the coach coming out and discussing what the issue’s are by keeping quit it only looks bad for the club.
who know what Guendouzi is going to say about being left out in the cold by Arteta when he find a new clubs.
Geoff , It’s extremelly doubtful that he will accept any culpability for the situation so we must ne prepared for it. It will be another stick for the media to beat us with.
We have to choose whether to side with the club and accept the stories of his breaking club rules and unruly behaviour or take Guendouzi’s word that he is totally innocent.
Footballers now live in a bubble where value for money doesn’t really exist it’s just a bottomless pit to dip into when they want and then when they find that it can’t be done if they are good enough they will move to somewhere else where the money flows freely.
Adam, he was a bloody brilliant player, and that why it hurt so much lol
Especially going to Utd-salt into the wound!!!
Geoff, a club saying this guy is just trouble and not worth the effort is a sure why to lower his price tag.
Anyone out there with half a brain would realise that Ozil and Guendouzi are causing problems, but stating it publicly really does nobody any favours so I can see why they stay silent.
Shame to see talent wasted, even bigger shame to pay them for the privilege of watching it happen.
Afternoon Rico and All
Judas pissed me off going when he did
Tommy V begged him to stay even his
mother-in-law gave him a bit of stick,but
he gave up on us to join Rudolph the nose
we would have won the league that year
I reckon if he stayed instead Double Wammy
he moaned to Arsene every day to get not
great players but fighters he knew we were
flaky.
Great player yer………disloyal yer to the
club and his family and now pouncing on
our club again with his views on our games
Ozil was never worth that deal how on this
earth has this deal not gone before a weights
measures tribunal or Var.
This is one of my favourite goals ever and weirdly when his name is ever mentioned I think of this goal!
Barca did well .
My son says Messi is clearly on the decline, and though obviously still a superb player, he can’t carry Barca any more.
They’re potentially in for a tough few years.
LC, that was one hell of a strike!!
Yay!! 8-2… we’ll be left alone now 🤣🤣
That was a brilliant game… so poor from Barca…. they need more of a rebuild than us haha!!
The 33rd frame of the snooker semi-final between Wilson and McGee was a stunner but tonight’s Barca/Bayern game was incredible.
I don’t feel so bad about the hammering we got from Bayern now. How did we let Gnabry get away?
😴 Good night all. 😴
They’re a mess, Sue!!
Cicero, shame he went but he wanted to go home.
What a player he’s turned into.
Rumours of Partey joining us are heating right up.
Thoughts on him?
You should not get me started on Gnabry and the stupidity of loaning him to Pulis of all people . After all the abuse aimed at Wenger from that little Welsh toad HE LOANS HIM A POTENTIAL STAR . If ever there was a case for signifying senility that was it.. Pulis took one look at him decided that he wasn’t the style of player he wanted had him on a years loan played him once . No wonder the dispirited kid wanted to go home . Pulis screwed Wenger good and proper.
Scott Sometimes you need to call a player out to make him take a look at him self and by not playing them I believe drops the players value as other clubs know you want to get rid of him so why would they offer top dollar
Never thought I would see Barcelona get smashed like they did Bayern deserved the win
Guendouzi is 21 years old and with a recent French international call up would seem to be on an upward curve in his career. Arsenal should be happy to have him.
However he came to us having had disciplinary problems at L’Orient having been let go by PSG at 14 years old. His history is well known by all and sundry and was bought to us by Emery and Mislintat both of whom have been dismissed by the club. He is distabilised and the mere fact that we are considering selling suggests that something is wrong and any offers will be taking that into account.
He is under contract until 2022 so there is no hurry to sell but whoever buys him is taking a gamble on his temperament and hoping that they can change him as so far it hasn’t worked out for him three times .
Potter,
You need to go back to time the we sold Gnabry.
He was 4th or 5th in line and couldn’t come close to playing out a 90 minute game.
We all knew he had talent, but he wanted to go home to Germany and that was that.
As for Guendouzi, he’s a decent player, but runs around like headless chook with our much end product.
If we can get 30-40 million, I reckon we’ve done very well.
Looked after properly Gnabry would now be starring for us or at least be another Anelka . But PULIS!!!!! ? why ? a man that has never found anything good to say about our club.
I can’t answer that one, Potter lol
Raul has left!!!!
Raul not just leaving but with ‘immediate effect’! One day after a review started into clubs transfer policy/dealings. Pepe 70m? Hard to know who’s pulling the strings these days. There were far too many chiefs, maybe Vanai, Edu and Arteta is enough!
Shady goings on, Andrew??? No doubt all will be revealed shortly….
Happened quicker than I thought it would but had a sniff of it earlier today
The club seems a bit of a mess at present , maybe we need an owner that lives here and is all over the everyday business.
We have an owner who doesn’t care about the club, and quite obviously has no control at all.
Morning all.
Is that the same owner who cares so little that he’s sacked Raul Sanelli? 😂
Hi guys, I’m away without internet so snookered for doing much here… ☹️
Rico, He also sacked 55 others to save a quid so I’m sure he is a caring soul.
He definitely cares about his bank balance 😉
Like I said at 1:37pm instead of looking at Ozil we should look at the board, selectors and scouts and ask are they earning their wages maybe Raul did not earn his pay or is there some truth to Ozil story
And Scott? I don’t have a problem with a business sorting itself out and cutting costs if they are needed..
If I had to guess Geoff, his departure is much to do with recent transfers and his dealings with agents.
Rico, Stan knows how to cut costs, no question.
Lets hope Barca don`t come calling for Magic Mikel………………….me and Scott would be hospitalised!
Heard about the Raul rumour a couple of days ago in this backward part of the world, but I know how people don`t want to take in main stream media gossip let alone The Lezant Parish Council Magazine!
😆
I’d say that it is a restructuring probably inspired by our new board member Tim Lewis. Hopefully all for the best.
Didn`t rate Raul that much anyway, he wasn`t as good for us as he was for Real Madrid banging in the goals!
Never heard of Tim Lewis, Adam, I shall have to look him up!………….who did he play for?
😆
Ditto Adam. Has to be good news imo.
This Tim bloke bloke doesn’t hang around. Or did Stan pop over and sack Raul…
He`s an Arsenal fan……….so far so good………………was a partner at Clifford Chance, I shall ask my old neighbour about him as she worked for Clifford Chance!
https://www.cliffordchance.com/people_and_places/people/partners/gb/tim_lewis.html
LCM this Tim Lewis person sounds like some one I know in Australia, He is paid to to come into major companies and check the books and watch the staff from management to the cleaner and then reports to the owner / board about who is not carrying their weight and who to sack and then how to run there business with less staff and maximum income,
Rico I have acomment in moderation
Will you please delete it
Thanks
Rico. As per usual. There’s a danger of pulling together a few events here and linking them to suit a narrative. Rather like Donald Trump In fact.
When I saw that Tim had become a board member I wondered if it might be an appointment designed to enhance Arsenal’s business connections, sponsorships etc., but perhaps he has more of a free-hand. Whatever the case I wonder if, having seen Arteta at work they’ve decided to get proactive and put a plan in place to support him at board level and financially, hence the news.
Regarding yesterday’s game:
What is proven:
Today’s football is more than possession, talent and imbalance in attack and how Barcelona have managed over the years; is to know how to press high, to play as well with and as without a ball, to involve ten field players as a whole to defend or attack.
There is no place for, for example, Ozil …
For sure Rick.
You’re right Adam, similar to what you said the other day about picking and choosing who to blame and who to praise. I just think that “the club” seem to have made a big decision to sack a man well know in the game.
I can’t find any evidence to suggest that this is anything other than a good decision.
Rico. Looking at Barcelona last night and the relative ages of their team plus their recruitment ie, Coutinho, Griezeman and de Jong (?) it struck me that there might not be a plan in place. A kind of ongoing appraisal of the squad and it’s direction. They have bought good players and paid plenty of money but they don’t seem to have a team or a direction any more. I know that they have an election coming up and are relying on Xavi coming back as coach but the contrast with Bayern couldn’t have been more stark. With typical German efficiency, they seem to know the players to buy and the way to use them. I hope we follow their way.
food for thought did Kroenke sack Raul for stuffing up with Pepe or was it a ploy by Kroenke to take the pressure if him for sacking 55 staff members and other scouts after asking the players to take a pay cut to save these peoples jobs hoping that we would only talk about Raul
There are rumours saying Raul pocketed 10m from the Pepe transfer, for himself and another person…..
Hi Sue if those stories about Raul and 10M are correct then the club should call the police in how ever lets hope that Pepe is not involved in any shifty business and the media leave him and his family alone.
Adam,I’ve always put Barcelona in the “kid in a sweet shop” kind of mould, buy the best and worry later.
Who appointed Raul in the first place? Was it Gazidis?
The so called super agent joorabcian was critical of Arsenal’s transfer dealings even though he got Willian a hundred thousand a week deal on a three year contract. I guess from that he knows what he is talking about.
Could be right, Geoff, if so, pity he was`t employed in Wenger`s later years! 😉
Rico. I’d say that’s about right. 😃 They could always rely on Messi coming up with something.
I can see Messi ending up at Putin’s Chelsea.
Yes it’s rather a coincidence that Tim Lewis a top lawyer at Clifford Chance, one of the top law firms in the world, who assisted KSE in other areas of their business and hard on the heels of Sir Chips retiring early, should arrive at the end of May and a few months later we see staff redundancies, the scouting staff severely slimmed right down and the top bod in the management team depart. Maybe under Wenger the club carried far too many staff and nobody had the balls to do anything about it until the Chine-nah virus forced their hands?
Maybe the money that would have been paid out in salary to the recently departed Raul Sanlehi can be now be used to ‘re-employ some of the fifty staff made redundant.
Perhaps it has at last been recognised that we are a bit top heavy in the executive team area.
Too many cooks or too many chiefs, either way we can do with less.
Sue you only have to read the bland statement on the club website to realise that nothing will be made clear or obvious. Stan won’t allow the public washing of dirty linen. 😉
The spectre of dodgy dealings and brown envelopes coming back to haunt us? 👻
Hi Geoff…. I hope he’s made to pay for what he’s done!
Very true, Cicero!! Btw have you been watching the snooker?
It’s often more fun watching what happens off the field than on it lol
Politics, power trips, dirty dealings…….should be a reality TV show.
Of course, as it stands we are in the position to make up our own minds on exactly what’s happening because of a distinct lack of information and that’s half the fun 🙂
Sue, I’ve been watching in between other things.
City beaten and Wilson fighting back against Rocket Ronnie.
Aouar (Lyon) was huge!
How much will he cost?
Gutted about City.. Sterling is such a donkey 😂
Ooh that is a comeback, Cicero… come on Ronnie!!
Too much sport to watch today, even with the cricket washed out there was Grand Prix qualifying, Snooker, Saracens vs Bristol, more snooker, Lyon vs City and a bit more snooker, oh, I forgot Exeter vs Leicester too. On top of that lot I even managed a half hour walk over the meadows.
A truly exhausting day, Good night all. 😴
Pep to Barca?
I reckon so.
Good morning Scott. I can’t see him going back to Barcelona, he would have to sack too any of his old mates. Mind you, he’s going to need to sack a few if he stays at City.
Scott.. Poch is linked with the job, even though a few years back he said he’d never manage them as he’s an Espanyol supporter! Henry is even a candidate….
Wouldn’t surprise me to see Pep return to them though… never say never, hey?!
Pep can become Magic Mikels assisstant!
I wish we would hurry up and sell some players and then sign new players soon so they get a chance to settle in and get to know there new team mates and were Arteta wants them to play before the new season kicks off
😂 that’ll do, Le Coq…. they can swap sweaters haha!!
A quiet Sunday afternoon drive around the Spanish countryside for Lewis Hamilton. He really does make it look easy.
Rocket Ronnie needs just one frame in the evening session to win the World Title.
The ultimate irony, LC hahaha
Thinking more on it, I’m not sure Pep would take on that gig-it’s a massive task ahead for whoever does.
He’d actually go up in my estimation if he did but Poch will probably get it if the rumours are correct.
Congrats Ronnie!! Let’s hope he shuts up about the cue action now 😂😂😂
Thank you, Sevilla 🥳
Utd have had 22 penalties awarded to them this season.
If we have had more than 6, I’d be surprised.
Bloody hell, 22???? Takes me back to when Fergie was there!!
Bet they’ll have even more next season!!
There are ‘leaked’ fixtures saying our first game is against them at OT… we only have to wait until Friday to see if that’s right!.
They have just varied the theme , it used to be drop like a stone in range for Beckham and Ronaldo now they just get a bit closer.
They must spend hours on the training ground practising their dive routines. Twenty-two penalties in single season is a ludicrous number.
Three years since they won silverware, beaten in three semi-finals this season. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. 😉
Morning Cicero,
To me, their penalty count shows two things-they look for them at every opportunity, and officials are happy to give them.
Pathetic, imo.
I’m glad it’s won them
Nothing hahaha
Aubameyang is close to signing his new £250,000 per week contract…..at which point Lacazette will be sold to Juventus.
Good morning Scott.
Shame to see Lacazette going, but let’s hope we replace him well.
Good day yesterday……….Ronnie winning, Lewis winning, Man U losing their 3rd Semi in a season!………………………….Viagra should be their new sponsors as they can`t get past a Semi!
Looks like Spuds are going to sign Joe Hart…………………..they`ll be Head and Shoulders above us now!………………………….Groannnnn!
A flaky signing, Le Coq….. (even more groaning 😂!)
New post up now