Morning all.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is another player who’s not known for his ability to roll up his sleeves and get stuck in. It was around this time last year when we pretty much knew Alexis Sanchez was heading for the exit in the January transfer window.
In hindsight, Wenger and Gazidis should have bitten Man City’s hands off in the summer before and taken the £60 million offered. Imagine who Sven Mislintat could find with that right now. It was no great surprise to me to see Utd and Mourinho make a move for Alexis in the New Year as no doubt he believed he was getting one over Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola at the same time.
As the story goes, Wenger didn’t want money, he wanted a Utd player in the deal. Mkhitaryan put his hand up straight away in desperation to get away from Mourinho and a swap deal was done. Alexis had had a poor few months that season and was far from being the player he had been for us but then again, Mkhitaryan had hardly set Old Trafford alight either. It looked like a good deal on paper, certainly better than losing the Chilean for nothing just a few months later.
I don’t watch Man Utd play a lot. The odd game here and there so I’ve no idea how good, or bad as the case might be, Alexis has been but the media have certainly been on his case since the very day he moved. If they are to be believed, he’s been awful. Those same media darlings have petty much said the same about Mkhitaryan for Arsenal too. So neither club has really benefited in a way they thought they might.
Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan in the same team was an exciting prospect I thought, especially as they knew each others game so well having been at Dortmund together. If they clicked at Arsenal as they did in Germany then we were onto a winner. But it’s not quite happened has it? Every now and again Mkhitaryan will have a good game, but like Ozil, those days don’t come around very often. He turns 30 years old real soon so he’s only going to slow down. Funny enough, he was born in 1989, a year when we travelled to Anfield and did something special. Something no one other than Arsenal fans thought we could let alone would. Can you imagine any other team in this footballing era repeating such a feat?
We’re witnessing how ruthless Vinai Venkatesham and Raul Sanllehi are being with Aaron Ramsey so when it comes to Mkhitaryan, I simply can’t see him being at Arsenal when next season kicks off as I don’t think he’s an Emery kind of player. I’d love him to prove me wrong and I hope he’s one of the players who Unai Emery was referring to in his interview about those who really want to improve but sadly, I can’t see it. Arsenal are paying big wages to players who simply aren’t earning it and Mkhitaryan is just one of a few who could find themselves at another club next season. In my opinion anyway.
This Premier League wage table is doing the rounds on NN.
Average wage bills Premier League 2018/19
| Rank | Team | Average annual wage per player |
| 1 | Manchester United | £6,534,654 |
| 2 | Manchester City | £5,993,000 |
| 3 | Chelsea | £5,020,004 |
| 4 | Liverpool | £4,862,963 |
| 5 | Arsenal | £4,853,130 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | £3,515,778 |
| 7 | Everton | £3,242,690 |
| 8 | West Ham | £3,189,333 |
| 9 | Crystal Palace | £2,757,000 |
| 10 | Leicester City | £2,710,710 |
| 11 | Southampton | £2,669,333 |
| 12 | Bournemouth | £1,989,520 |
| 13 | Watford | £1,775,172 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £1,757,600 |
| 15 | Fulham | £1,727,440 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion | £1,695,040 |
| 17 | Newcastle United | £1,650,133 |
| 18 | Burnley | £1,603,197 |
| 19 | Huddersfield Town | £1,238,000 |
| 20 | Cardiff City | £957,471 |
“We need to be very, very efficient in the design of the first team,” said Arsenal’s chief of football Raul Sanllehi back in an interview with the Guardian in October. “We need to be very efficient in the way we play and the way we generate the income to put more fuel into the machine.”
In other words, we need to be careful with our spending and we need a return to the Champions League. Winning the Europa League would be great but as 2019 arrives, that task gets a lot more difficult as we’ll be drawn against much stronger sides including the clubs who will have dropped out of the Champions League.
Our progress through Europe though might be slightly easier, if there is such a thing, if we can win tomorrow and secure top spot. That match which is against FC Vorskla Poltava has now been relocated from Poltava to Kiev due to security concerns. It’ll take place in the Olympic Stadium of Kiev which I guess is better news for us. It’s certainly means less time in a coach for the team. Kick off remains the same time, 5-55pm UK time. I just hope everyone travelling to the Ukraine return safe and sound.
Lastly, I’m hoping for a tough and rough match in north London tonight. It’s win or Europa for that rabble down the road which means Poch really can’t afford to rest any of his players ahead of the NLD. I hope Inter are really up for this one and run their opposition ragged.
Perhaps they could sneak in a dodgy lasagne too….
Good morning Rico, I was doubtful about signing Mkhitaryan in the first place, as far as I’m concerned he’s just the latest Old Toilet cast-off to wash up at The Emirates.
The venue change, for Thursday’s match, is certainly good news. The original plan was to play the game in Poltava, two hundred miles east of Kiev, a five to six hour road trip each way. Not something to recommend prior to the NLD.
Breakfast calls, laters.
Morning Cicero, iMessage it was an easy deal for Wenger to agree to. He liked those imo.
Yep, agree re tomorrow’s game…
Apparently a bit warmer too , although the need to look after hamstrings will be important . Just how the politics will affect tonight we can’t tell . Will they be all fired up with national pride or will the prospect of war dampen their spirits ?
tonight ? tomorrow , time difference.
My excuse :- although not much of a good one.
Dampen their spirits hopefully, them, not us..
Good morning Rico and everyone, I would really love to see mikh leave… And a host of other players like elneny, Welbeck, Ramsey, Cech.. if all these players are replaced we would be a scary team to play next season… And we need a young left back asap
Morning Mexy, I think it’ll happen. As many of us have suggested, that’s what this first season is about. Emery couldn’t have a huge clear out in his first summer. Slow process I think as it was for City and Pep.
Should Mkhitaryan and Ramsey leave they would need replacing with top quality to allow the kids to develop and come through. However we are not City and cannot have a superstar in reserve for every place so the likes of Welbeck and Elneny who still have mileage would have to be retained as squad back ups.
Whether it’s because of a lack of aternatives Emery seems to be prepared to give Smith-Rowe , Maitland -Niles playing time with Nelson having started well at Hoffenhiem it seems that he will progress too albeit he is not in their team at the moment and is doing a lot of bench sitting.
Left back , we do need something else but I am not sure it has to be a young one . Both Moreal and Kolasinac can act as back up should we get a good one as Cech will be until the end of his contract as Leno surely has taken over as number 1.
Not sure I agree there Potter, if we are to assume our younger players are learning from Mkhitaryan, and even Iwobi to a degree and certainly Ozil, what they are watching is lazy players who don’t get stuck in when needed.
I’d rather they picked up stuff from players like Torriera, Guendouzi and Welbeck etc. Just my opinion though.
Afternoon Gooners
Afternoon Rico.
Yeah, Mkhitarayan is a player that splits opinion, I thought he was great last season, ironically under Wenger, he got a few goals and made us think we’d had the best of the deal.
This season it’s gone a bit south for our Armenian midfielder, he should have got two or three goals against Chelsea and it’s been pretty underwhelming since.
But Emery seems to like him, use him and importantly keep him on when he plays so maybe Henrik is ‘doing a job’ even if we can’t see it or appreciate it.
Mikhitarayan can score goals, even if he’s not done much of that this season, in a midfield bereft of goalscoring – that’s where we miss Ramsey.
He is on a big wedge, so he’s going to pick up the same kind of flak as Ozil, but it’s interesting that Emery left out Ozil from the physically testing visit to Bournemouth, a team that works as hard as Arsenal currently do, but played Mkhitarayan for the entire match?!
Looks like Koscielny could be in the squad for the junket out to sunny Ukraine…
Afternoon Kev, I’d say Mkhitaryan works harder than Ozil off the ball but not by much. Who else could Emery pick? He’s stuck with a few players who I don’t really believe he wholly trusts.
Elneny doesn’t get a look in, Ramsey could play down the right but I don’t think that Emery trusts him, Maitland Niles, after that I’m struggling, maybe Guendouzi?
How about Aubameyang, then Iwobi stays on the left, but I reckon Emery will play one striker at a time for most of our games until we do some business in January or Nketiah comes to the party?
I saw some YouTube stuff on that Nicolas Pepe of Lille and he looks pretty useful.
His goal scoring stats are impressive, he’s certainly more Henry than Gervinho for sure.
He’s a predominantly left footer but plays wide right or through the middle.
Had we topped the Europa group already, he probably would have opted for someone different…
Auba likes to come in off the left though doesn’t he so he’s on his right foot, a bit like Henry but less clinical. Lol
Just seen some training pictures on Arsenal.Com, and pictures of the squad on the plane before departure for sunny Ukraine.
Lots of young, fresh faces from the Academy on board the plane, I recognised youngsters such as : Smith Rowe, Nketiah, Willock, Zach Medley, Xavier Amaechi, Osei-Tutu and Gilmour.
Lichtsteiner, Ramsey, Elneny, Guendouzi and Jenkinson were also on the plane.
In the training pictures I also saw: Cech, Xhaka, Sokratis, Mustafi, Koscielny, Holding, Bellerin, Martinez Aubameyang, Mkhitarayan and Torrieira…
Pick the bone out of that?
Er, cut Amaechi (shame as he’s really good) it’s Dominic Thompson. 🙄
Strong team to start maybe then make changes if all goes to plan. Or the other way round..
Our match tomorrow is now in doubt.. BBC report
Vorskla have boarded their coach and are on their way to Kiev.
Really? Their president has apparently suggested they’re trying hard to play at their own ground. Weird.
Evening Rico and the House.
20 players have flown. They are, Cech, Martinez, Ilieve, Jenkinson,Tutu, Lichstenier,
Holdin, M,Niles, Elneny,Guendouzi,Medly, Ramsey, Mkhitaran, Gilmour, Nketiah, Smith Rowe, Thompson
Willoch, John Jules and Saka,
Some of the youngsters will be starting
If Vorskei pull out of the game they will be disqualified and all their matches will be nul and viod.
As a result of this we will be guarenteed to win the group.
Evening Rick, what if Uefa call it off?
Rico Uefa have stated the match must be played and the only way it will
not be played is if Vorskla pull out.
I think it will be played.
I think it will too Rick, but Vorskla have nothing to win or lose if they don’t play..
Definitely Brugge , Valencia and Benfica the rest are still up for grabs
I’d forgotten there was another game… lol
rico…..I wouldn’t read too much into the tea leaves lol, I still fancy the scousers but like you the spuds look dead on their arses !
Don’t care what anyone says about Wegner, we all know the Champions League is just a glorified FA Cup, he knew what he was doing dropping outta the top four, roll on tomorrow evening.
Teabags for me Micko… lol
New post up now.