Morning all.
When Nottingham Forest were throwing money around like it’s going out of fashion back in the summer, did anyone at the club stop and think how twenty odd new players would gel, or what Steve Cooper’s plan was? I recall Arsene Wenger always saying that buying too many players at one time was a recipe for disaster and he wasn’t talking about 20. The cynic in me thinks he used that excuse for not being very busy during a transfer window, but logic suggests that too many new players at the same time would cause problems, especially if they’re from a different country and league. I don’t think I’ve ever known a club to sign as many as Forest did in one transfer window, not even the free spending Chelsea or Man City. So it’s no surprise to see Forest sat bottom of the league table or Steve Cooper rumoured to be heading for the sack.
Patience and football don’t necessarily go together. I know I’m guilty of losing faith in what Arsenal as a club were doing when Mikel Arteta first arrived and for a long time afterwards too as I couldn’t see the plan or the process often mentioned but despite the struggles, grumbles and media pressure, he and Arsenal really did keep calm and carry on. Instead of sacking Mikel Arteta when things were going bad on the pitch, the Kroenke family ignored everyone’s moans and and instead, backed their manager in a way never seen before. Yes, the club have spent a lot of money which the Kroenke family must have approved, and here we are now, playing some of the best football we Arsenal fans have seen played for many a year. We’re into October but for once, we’re not already 12+ points adrift of the top four. It feels good doesn’t it?
It’s taken Arsenal two years to build the squad Mikel Arteta has now and less than half the number of players signed in one summer by Forest. Quality, something Mikel Arteta always said Arsenal needed, has been added to the best of the squad he inherited, although not many are left, and they’ve all made a big difference. Pundits might say that the signing of Jesus and the arrival of Saliba has made all the difference and in some ways they are right but I think every player has, whilst others have raised their own performance level too.
Aaron Ramsdale seems to have regained his form, Ben White has gone from being a good centre-back to an outstanding right-back and Gabriel Martinelli is back to the level he played at pre injury. Granit Xhaka has been superb in his new role too and it’s no surprise he’s just been voted September’s player of the month. We also have Eddie Nketiah, Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos, ESR, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Matt Turner, Sambi Lokonga, Rob Holding, Kieran Tierney, Cedric Soares and Reiss Nelson waiting in the wings, no doubt most of them looking forward to tomorrow’s match as well as the domestic cup fixtures.
Football clubs are allowed a maximum number of 25 players in their Premier League squad but under 21’s don’t count. Regardless of nationality, any under 21 player can supplement a squad without needing to be named as part of the 25 named squad. Next season, to be considered an under 21 player, players must be born after January 1st 2001. Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli, Karl Hein and Marquinhos are the only players in the current first team squad who were born after that date. Flo Balogun will still be classed as under 21 player next season, however Matt Smith and George Lewis, both who were born before 1st January 2001, unless Mikel Arteta names them in next seasons squad when the time comes, their future is likely to be somewhere other than at Arsenal. I think they are the only two who be affected.
Nottingham Forest have just 3 players born after 2021 in their current squad which makes their transfer policy back in the summer even more bonkers. Don’t get me wrong, I really don’t care what Forest are up to, I’m simply reiterating how good Arsenal’s transfer policy has been recently.
There’s the homegrown rule to be adhered to each season too which basically says that no more than 17 players in a Premier League squad can be non-homegrown. Those players can be of any nationality or age. If my fingers and thumbs have worked properly this morning, Arsenal currently have 13 non homegrown players registered so come January, there’s room for another central midfielder regardless of his nationality.
We have twelve fixtures to play before domestic football stops for the World Cup in just under six weeks time. The depth of squad is going to be tested but if Thomas Partey can stay fit, I think we’ll be fine as in every other position, there’s a bit more depth.
I wonder which team, or which player will try and injure him….
See you in the comments.
I will be happy if we get a DM in january and mudrikh added to creat competition and Gakpo comes in since Balogun is doing some thing extra ordinery in Nice, He will come back and offer more debth to our striking force .
Good afternoon Rico.
Thanks for doing the maths, It’s too complicated for my ageing brain. I can only go along with what most have been saying since the summer transfer window closed, we need a Partey back-up. Sambi Lokonga has featured in the position but, to my mind at least, not too successfully. Coincidently, this morning the news comes that Arsenal are thinking of offering Sambi in a swap deal for 24-year-old Juventus and Italy midfielder Manuel Locatelli. (Calcio Mercato Web).
I should think that we may be getting close to the point where it will be necessary to off-load a player or two the reduce our wage bill. The Sambi swap may help to do just that.
As to the Forest debacle, owner Evangelos Marinakis is none too happy with his club’s summer trading and is considering axing his chief executive, the head of recruitment and the head of scouting. That’s on top of the likely departure of manager Steve Cooper who between them were responsible for spending £150 million on the twenty-three new recruits.
Don’t think much of these high winds…
Morning Cicero.
I was surprised when I read the numbers but I guess the flurry of player exits at the end of the season helped.
The winds are saving me the job of picking the apples from the tree, they’re being blown off so all I have to do is collect them up. 👍
Ha ha, but they’ll be bruised.
This is good news if true, Arsenal have been handed a significant boost amid claims technical director Edu has reached an agreement with Bukayo Saka over a new contract.
Afternoon Rico and all
Rico I read that story about us looking at swapping Lokonga for Manuel Locatelli the only Problem I can see is according to some reports we tried to get Locatelli about 6 months ago but turned us down as he wanted to play in Italy now their are reports that Juventus manager has said that even if Locatelli was fully fit he would not be in the starting lineup.
Excellent news re Saka if true, need Saliba and Martinelli to sign up next.
Afternoon Geoff. Not seen that one.
He’s on loan at Juve from Sassuolo
I see no point in swapping Lokonga, whose pretty much adapted to the Premier League, for some Italian geezer who doesn’t want to play for us and would take 3 to 6 months to adapt to our game. Seems like a load of bollocks to me.
Cedric Soares could be fit to play tomorrow so that would complete our reserve back four. Arteta is certain to have a few big hitters on the subs bench in case we need them but in reality we shouldn’t.
Me neither Kev, Lokonga is for the future.
New post up now