Afternoon all.
Matteo Guendouzi has left the club on a loan deal to Marseille. An ‘obligation to buy with conditions’ has been included within his contract according to TransferMarket so I think it’s fair to say, his Arsenal career is over all the time Mikel Arteta is manager.
Also leaving is Matt Smith who has joined League One side Doncaster Rovers on loan for the 2021/22 season and Daniel Oyegoke has joined newly promoted Brentford in a permanent move.
Other than that, it’s rumour, speculation and scraps from social media to feed off.
The Mail are just one of many newspapers which suggest Aston Villa are set to make a third bid for ESR which if they do, I fully expect it to be turned down. The Express suggest Arsenal have reportedly submitted a bid for Lyon’s Houssem Aouar, according to fresh developments in France.
I’m sure Emile would have been one of the first at London Colney this morning as the players not involved at the Euros or upcoming Olympic Games, or other international fixtures, kicked off pre-season training. Both Gabriel’s were selected for Brazil but the older of the two has suffered a nasty knee injury so not only will he miss the Olympic Games but in all likelihood, Arsenal’s opening League fixtures too. I’d imagine the signing of Ben White has suddenly become more important, perhaps the loan deal for William Saliba, thrown into doubt. Holding, Mari and Chambers could be our only experienced central defenders and Chambers has played right back under Mikel Arteta rather than centre-back.
Our pre season fixtures kick off next Tuesday and Arsenal.com have match passes on sale.
Silver, Red, Cannon, Purple and Junior Gunners Members from season 2020/21, and all Season Ticket Holders who have renewed for the upcoming season will have free and exclusive access to all four of our pre-season fixtures in July.
Before then, the Euros need a winner. Italy beat Spain last night to reach the Final and tonight, England take on Denmark for the right to play them. Bukayo Saka is fit again so a first semi-final appearance for his country in a big tournament could be on the cards. I reckon it’ll be a close game but I reckon the home team will nick it. England are yet to concede a goal, Kane has found his shooting boots and Sterling is in form. I’m really looking forward to watching this young English team play again.
See you in the comments.
Come on England….. 🏴🏴🏴
Thanks Rico.
Pleasure.
Just as I posted this, Rick updated to say Gabriel’s injury might not be serious so he could be back sooner than expected. Even so, our central defence looks short in numbers.
If we do sign the Portuguese left back, he could fill in for Tierney who could then fill in at centre back. If ifs and ands were pots and pane,we’de have no use for tinkers. 😉
replace the “e” with an “s” and it makes more sense. Well a little bit more at least. 😉
The first news of Gabriel’s knee said it was more serious however as that would strengthen Brighton’s hand I reckon the news that it’s not too bad has been trotted out.
If it is tendons in the knee then he can either have two weeks on and then 3 or four off all season or for a complete recovery leave it until Christmas.
As we have all heard our injury predictions before , I just remember Rosicky , Diaby , Cazorla , all said to be minor tweaks and gone for ages . Personally I can see it being the long haul and if White falters , Saliba will be a neccessity.
The important bit is to get the squad tied down for pre season which makes these decisions needing to be made sooner rather than later.
Thanks, Rico. Great news about our July fixtures being shown – I didn’t know that…
Not long to go now 🙂
Tonight…. going to be tight! Like you, I think we’ll just scrape it!
Makes sense to me Potter, we’re paying Brighton enough as it is. Allegedly..
I hope Kasper has a bad game Sue… lol
Saka starts, Rico 👍 Not sure Schmeichel has a bad game in him, haha. At least it should be a belter!
Wow! Wembley is rocking… 🏴🏴🏴
Good evening Rico and all
Thanks for the post Capo
Kev….I have just seen the line up. And while, like you, I have my reservations about Southgate, I have noticed that he does not play square pegs in round holes. I have observed that he adapts the formation according to the opposition and then fits the right players in the system. And he does not go for names or players who play for a particular team. But goes for the right players and not necessarily those who play for the usual suspect clubs.
Yes he might lack in the substitutions and maybe decision making during the game. But his choice of formation and how he choses the players which fit into it has to be admired.
Excellent Sue. Really pleased for Bukayo.
Evening Devil.
Schmeichel saying “Has it ever been home?” cracked me up!
The Italians were singing a slightly different version yesterday…..Football’s coming Rome.
And did Schmeicel actually say that?? lol. Cracking.
seems that Denmark are a different cattle of fish. They are attacking and playing to their own strengths.
England need to be crafty.
A high tempo game. Typical EPL end to end stuff
Evening house. Wonder what Saka’s value is, keeping out Sancho at £70 million?
Come on England!
Denmark have a good level of pace and know how to get behind the English defence. So England cant defend with a high line. They will be stretched unless they keep compact shape and dont allow the Danes to pass between the channels.
That was a screamer. Damsgaard puts Danes 1-0 up.
Jordan Pickford has now set a new record for an England goalkeeper for most minutes without conceding, overtaking Gordon Banks’ 720 minutes set between May/July 1966……and immediately concedes a goal a minute or two later.
Hell of a goal! We’re seeing glimpses of the Everton Pickford tonight, Devil 😄
What a save from Schmeichel…
Sterling! Saka assist….👍
Make that an OG 😂
And that’s the assist!!
It was not a miss by Sterling….it was a great save by Schmeichel. Sterling was in the right place and placed the shot correctly.
He made amends a minute later and scored the equalizer with a simple finish. He has the innate knack of being in the right place at the right time.
Sterling 1-1
Wrighty celebrating the goal.. love it!
end to end stuff.
Yesterday I loved it as it was tactical.
Today its different ball game.
Enthralling match
if the ref whistled there was only one of two choices. Either a penalty for England or a yellow for Kane. And since it was a dive it should have been a yellow.
REf bottled it here
tbh I dont want this game to stop.
its a pity there are no more goals than the `1-1 scored in the first half.
I am simply enjoying it……while eating a bit of chocolate minstrels and sipping sparkling cherry wine. Have already downed half a bottle sipping it bit by bit.
Denmark seem to have run out of steam…..and are losing half a yard. They are not attacking as much and seem to have lost their way a bit
It feels like England are going to score any minute now
I think I must be the only one who doesn’t rate Maguire… 😀
He is playing well Rico. In what sense you dont rate him??? He hasnt put a foot wrong during these Euros. And he scored as well
8.23 Andrew, he’s priceless…
He just looks clumsy and slow to me Devil.
No more complaining about Italy diving please.
Not while you guys have Kane.
🤣 Scott
😂Scott, and Grealish
He’s a filthy cheating prick, Sue.
Funnily enough, social media is full of Arsenal fans saying he should’ve got a penalty!
What for-for falling over a white line on the our pitch?
Grub!!!
He is a good reader of the game Rico. And that erases his lack of pace. He knows how to pace himself and administer the game from the back.
He is a good leader as well Rico. And remember, England have not conceded until today and that was from a superb free kick not open play.
Rico, you know what I think of him hahahaha
You guys can win this!!
We’ll have to agree to differ Devil.
And Sterling 🤣 Did you see how he went down when Denmark had scored the OG?!!
I agree with you, Scott and he should’ve got booked!!
I saw that Sue, he was half way through a swan dive when he realised we’d scored. I like the way Dixon day to his co commentator that Grealish falls over a lot…
Scott and Sue….my comment at 9.31 outlined it perfectly…..the ref had to make one of two choices. And if he gave a foul in favour of Denmark the rules state that Kane should have seen yellow for simulating. he gave the foul but the yellow stayed in the pocket.
Walton says that’s a penalty? Hilarious 😂
Haha brilliant, Rico, Swan dive indeed 🤣
Exactly, Devil, but the MBE man is never gonna get booked!
Another swan dive, Rico… 🤣
it is given by VAR. But there was no contact at all.
I told you that the ref is bottling certain decisions.
anyway….a game like today should have been decided by a screamer or two. not by a penalty. Its such an enthralling game….dont want it to stop.
I hate seeing games won or lost like it Sue.
Sterling dives Kane gets lucky. That crafty enough for you Devil ?
Time to switch off.
I can’t watch this shit.
For you guys, the fans I hope you go on and win the tournament.
For some of your players though…..but they’re in the minority so go on lads.
Agreed, Rico. Hearing that Matterface bloke saying the decision was ‘generous’ says it all…
Sure does Sue.
Its Italy vs England final.
Utterly deserved, even if the way it came was dodgy… 😆
Night all
🏴🏴🏴
Potare sull’Italia.
Yep Rico, imo the better side won the day.
Should be a cracking final.
We played England ow for Sunday.
Congratulations England now to go all the way but I must admit very dodge penalty and then the Keepers save, lucky Kane was switch on to run in quick and score from the loose ball.
Good luck against Italy.
I’m not too sure, in fact no, I am sure that the free kick awarded to Denmark by the referee which led to their goal, was a free kick, in fact the Danish player also went down quite easily, so maybe we should bare that in mind when discussing the England winner.
The best team won, MotM was Kasper Schmeichal and that’s it, get over it….
The final will be an intriguing contest between an unusually attacking Italy and a cautious England, a kind of role reversal.
Thanks Geoff, I think that the England goalkeeper has ADHD he’s a complete nutjob, but he’s only conceded one goal so far, from a free kick that wasn’t a free kick and a very fine free kick it was, all the same he seems intent on causing some mayhem from time to time with his eventful kicking technique which includes kicking the ball straight out of play or to an opponent, he almost gave me the heebie jeebies with his antics, bless him.
Sorry Kev, I’ll never get over diving and cheating bud 🙂
I said the better side won, but how will you feel if an Italian striker “wins” a penalty that decides the game?
You’d be entitled to be filthy.
That’s the position the game is in now and it’s terrible-we are talking about cheats.
Win cleanly, show the Italians how it’s done!!
Kev sometimes I think people underestimate how important a goal keeper is but one with ADHD god help any player trying to keep up with him
Scott I agree cheating is cheating but what I hate even more is that the people who are in charged of the VAR allows them to get away with it
Geoff, it’s hard.
VAR really are supposed to look for obvious officiating errors.
Lots of these dives do have contact, so the VAR’s officials hands are somewhat tied.
These cheats are so good at diving now, they force the contact and “win” the foul.
Technically, the ref gives the foul because that contact was there, even though the attacker made it happen.
Even some fans say defenders should not put themselves in positions where this can happen lol.
It’s become an accepted part of the game to many, and that’s a greater shame than the act itself imo.
I’m not going to defend Sterling, I thought he was probably looking for the foul and took full advantage. The fact is, and it is a fact, once the referee awarded the penalty VAR could only reverse the decision if there was “a clear and obvious” error. To mind it was too close to call, so the penalty stood.
Kane’s penalty kick was one of the worst I’ve seen in the tournament, he was lucky that Schmeichal pushed the ball out practically to his feet.
Cicero, I’m Happy that the better side won.
The situation is even worse when a cheat wins the game for a poor side lol
Win on Sunday!!!
https://twitter.com/FootyHumour/status/1412900588812181504?s=20
🤣🤣
Sterling gave the ref a decision to make ,
I am sure that had that been inspected by Stockley park it would have been reversed. This is purely because of the way we operate it.
In England we treat VAR as a second referee with the ability to overturn the decision whereas in this tournament they have stuck to it’s true intention .
I am sorry that it was won the way it was , I would have preferred a 30 yard top corner shot but the better team on the day won . That is life .
Southgate has done what the golden generation could not , he has blended a team , not a missmash of so called super stars . There may be better players on the bench or sitting at home but he uses his squad and it seems that his players have bought into it.
Lessons for club football where there are too many look at me players.
Great comment, Potter.
A champion team will always beat a team of champions.
On the Arsenal topic, I do believe that’s what Arteta is trying to build……
Sue, that’s bloody brilliant lol
Morning all.
Potter, you’ve made me smile. Lol
New post up now
https://highbury-house.com/2021/07/08/southgate-arteta-two-peas-in-a-pod/