Morning all.
The exit door has opened at Arsenal. We knew it was coming because the club’s wage bill is far too high. A Champions League football bill for a European football club we were told. We didn’t need telling mind you because the facts and figures are out there to be read.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has joined Serie A side AS Roma on a permanent basis. Rumour has it, this move was instigated by him for his own benefit. He wants to play football but not for Arsenal which is fine. What would be wrong would be to sit on the bench in England whilst the club pay him his reported £180k a week. I don’t know the exact details of the way his departure from Arsenal went about, all I know is that £180k has been wiped off of the wage bill. Or can be used to keep Aubameyang, Martinez and AMN.
If only Mesut Ozil would do the same. But there’s the difference between a guy who wants to play the game and a guy ruled by money.
Sead Kolasinac is reported to be heading to Schalke. He’s prepared to take a pay cut in order to get his wish. Out of England and out of Arsenal. I’ve no grudge with him for wanting out, not after all he went through last summer at the hands of a few thugs. Hopefully a deal will be done, a permanent one so more money is removed from the Arsenal wage bill. £100k a week reportedly.
Dani Ceballos. Out in the cold when Mikel Arteta arrived, a key player for Arsenal by the time his loan deal ended. Sky Sports report that we’re in advanced talks to bring him back to north London. If Real Madrid can’t see how good he is then great for us. I hope this one materialises, with an option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season. Either way, his arrival will help the team in a big way I’m sure.
What happens with our glut of midfielders though is anyone’s guess. There certainly isn’t room for Ceballos, Willock, Torreira, Xhaka, Guendouzi, Elneny and ESR. Even less room if Partey or Aouar arrive. Thankfully, that’s someone else’s problem to be solved.
Finally, Arsenal.com have very kindly listed all our players who are representing their respective countries this week and next.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been named in the England senior squad for the very first time, for their Uefa Nations League games against Iceland in Reykjavik on Saturday, September 5 and Denmark in Copenhagen on Tuesday, September 8.
Sead Kolasinac has been selected for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s squad for their Uefa Nations League games against Italy in Florence on Friday, September 4 and Poland in Zenica on Monday, September 7.
Granit Xhaka has been called up to the Switzerland squad for their Uefa Nations League games against Ukraine in Lviv on Thursday, September 3 and Germany in Basel on Sunday, September 6.
Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson and Eddie Nketiah have been selected for England’s Under-21s EURO qualifiers against Kosovo in Pristina on Friday, September 4 and Austria in Ried im Innkreis on Tuesday, September 8.
And finally, Matteo Guendouzi has been called up to the France Under-21s squad for their EURO qualifiers against Georgia in Gori on Friday, September 4 and Azerbaijan in Sumqayit on Monday, September 7.
I just hope they all come back fit, healthy and Covid free.
See you in the comments guys.
We should sell Torreira and keep Elneny who presents more visibility and physicality in that midfield.
He’d be a good backup to Partey.
Meanwhile Torreira would command a better market value to add to available transfer funding
My thought
Morning rico, good summing up of what’s happening with our players. Ceballos is the one midfielder I really want to be there next year. Torreira the second, but given up on that one otherwise he would have been seen recently, other than in transfer news. Interesting that Arteta said AMN needs to perform every three days, suggesting he used to turn it on when he wished, and that he is now ready for a match! As long as he continues in his recent Wembley matches form, he wins me over. One big DM signing, along with Gabriel and I think we are set fair. Hoping we keep Laca, as Nketiah still has some way to go, good energetic sub rather than main striker for me at the moment.
# Next season, two weeks away, not next year!
Oh, I do wish we had Edit function. Is it intentional on forums to stop people withdrawing things they have said, or just a lacking facility of WordPress?
Morning Andrew, thanks. I too think Torreira could go. Great shame but I don’t think the PL suits him. Likewise, a DM and Gabriel and we’d be good to go I reckon. Ceballos too of course.
ArsenalReborn. If Elneny is up for performing each week as he did against Liverpool,he’s certainly worth keeping imo. We’re going to have a lot of fixtures to play again and a month less to play them in.
It’s a WordPress thing Andrew. If you had access to edit your own comment, you’d be able to edit others too. Not a bad idea sometimes though. 😂
Our much beloved and respected executive director, Ken Friar, is to become a life president of the club from today after deciding to step down from the board and retire from his executive responsibilities.
‘Mr Friar’, as he is known to all at the club, started working for us 70 years ago. Starting full time in the club’s box office in 1950, he progressed to the role of box office manager before becoming club secretary in 1973.
Ten years later, in 1983, Mr Friar was appointed managing director, a position he held until 2000 when he changed role and took charge of our new stadium project alongside his great friend and fellow director, Danny Fiszman.
Together with Danny and many others, Mr Friar delivered the hugely complex stadium project on time and within budget, a wonderful legacy to all those involved. He was awarded an OBE in 2000 for services to association football and has also received the Freedom of the Borough of Islington.
Announcing his decision, Mr Friar, now aged 86, said: “Every day of my working life has been at this great club and I have treasured them all. It has been an honour and a privilege to see the club grow whilst maintaining its core traditions and values.
“Society, football and the club have all changed radically over the years but Arsenal has remained a constant force. We’ve won and lost many football matches but we have always recognised that as a club we play a really important role in our local community and beyond. I know that will continue as we move forward.
“I made this decision several months ago before the pandemic arrived. The club is in the hands of good people in Stan and Josh Kroenke, the board and our staff. They understand what we stand for and what we mean to our many millions of supporters around the world. I look forward to finally being able to watch our matches purely as as a supporter without the inevitable concerns and stresses which come with management and board responsibilities.”
Nice post, Rico 👍
We’re playing QPR this afternoon at London Colney…
Good old Charles Watts:
Arsenal to play two, possibly three, BCD games before the season opener at Fulham on Saturday week.
Willian, Laca, Pepe, Ozil all back at Colney yesterday as Arteta’s squad starts to come together again. Understand Gabriel was even allowed on site for the squad’s Covid testing.
More teasing going on… Luiz and Willian having a video chat later with a mystery guest…. another Brazilian possibly??!! Is this it, finally?? Or will it be Santos 🤣🤣
Happy retirement Ken Friar, and thank you.
If not Gabriel Sue, why the secrecy? Let’s hope so. Everything drags on too long with Arsenal. How comes ManU just sign the Ajax player with minimal fuss.
It had better be, Andrew! It’s driving me crazy! Not only is it the worst kept secret ever, but as you say plenty of other teams are signing left, right and centre!!
Thanks Sue.
The cloak and dagger stuff is quite amusing I think. If the club announce Auba, AMN and Martinez have signed contract extensions and Gabriel, Partey and Ceballos are ours all at the same time, it’ll be worth the wait.
However.. 😆
Perhaps van Beek didn’t have to self isolate so medical and face to face stuff could be done quickly.
It’s official! Welcome, Gabriel… bloody hell he’s got some teeth to challenge Klopp and Firmino’s!!
Gabriel is ours!!
One down, two to go… 😂
We were talking about touts the other day and there were always rumours about where the tickets came from , What do tou think Kev I am sure that you have heard them too. Maybe they are about to dry up a bit.
We beat QPR 4-3, according to twitter!!
Any idea who played Sue?
Not entirely sure, Rico…apparently we had a strong line up. Whispers are saying Auba, Laca, ESR, John-Jules scored… but I don’t know….
Our squad have now 31 players. We must have 24/25 or 26.
One question: will Arsenal players involved in international matches playing outside the UK be quarantined for 15 days or not?
Thanks Sue, I take it we had no defenders if we conceded three… lol
https://amp.theguardian.com/football/2020/sep/01/paris-saint-germain-make-25m-offer-for-arsenals-hector-bellerin?__twitter_impression=true
Ornstein says ………….PSG after Hector, clubs in dialogue, we want to keep but will sell at right price!……………..would see AMN at RWB and Soares as back up.
Interest in Partey remains + discussions taking place over Aouar and Ceballos returning to London soon!……………..RM will waive loan fee in exchange for AFC paying his full wage this time!
Potter, with the restrictions in mind and that are planned, I’ve heard it suggested that season ticket holders will carry their ticket on their mobile phone and it’ll run in conjunction with your health records so that there’s a correlation between you going to games and being tested.
I didn’t hear any details but I think the FA, Premier League and Government/Health Service will have some kind of plan for when fans return to games. They’ll want to avoid a spike brought on by football crowds so it’s going to be heavily regulated, so the days of someone getting a friend a ticket or you buying one from a tout could be over for a long long time. That’ll mean I won’t be going anymore, no more away games or games at Wenbley.
C’est la vie…
According to Arseblog the fee for Bellerin is £25m plus £5m in add ons, now I’m assuming that those figures are correct and it is Pounds and not Euros.
I kinda wonder if during his rehab that Hector might have thought about his career and if he wanted to stay at Arsenal or try a new challenge and wasn’t there rumours of him leaving a few months back before lockdown?
The signing of Cedric Soares could have been a result of the club making contingency plans in case he pushed for a transfer, I’m sure he wouldn’t kick up a stink but if he wanted to leave then the club couldn’t really hold him?
Although there’s been rumours of interest from Juventus and Bayern in Hector, neither of them are particularly big payers when it comes to transfers so our best bet might be PSG if the time has come to let Bellerin move on?
been watching some youtube video of Houssem Aouar he looks like he may be able to help the cm on right side
New post up.