Morning all.
This time of year causes all sorts of emotions to surface in football fans minds. The highs, lows, hope, expectation and utter disappointment. I get the feeling that if Declan Rice ends up at Manchester City as nearly every sports outlet now predicts, we Arsenal fans will be feeling the latter. But why, as surely Rice is not the only player out there in the big wide world of football who could improve our midfield? If he’s ‘that good’ and Man City really want him, why haven’t they dropped a big transfer fee offer on West Ham by now and offered the player a deal he simply cannot refuse? After all, what footballer doesn’t want to play for Pep Guardiola? Honestly, you’d think he was the only decent manager in the Premier League reading the way the media gush over him. Of course he’s a great manager, his record proves that, but there’s a big cloud hanging over the blue side of Manchester right now and that’s the 100 odd breaching of the rules charges against them. City might be confident of being cleared of all of them but as the saying goes, there’s seldom smoke without a fire.
Sky Sports have a headline declaring City are in advanced talks with West Ham for Rice for a few days now and each time I’ve read the ‘updated’ article, there’s been no real update other than some bloke who works for Sky Sports in Italy saying City are ‘determined to beat Arsenal’ to his signing. Maybe they are and maybe they will get him and if they do, so be it. Move on to plan b. Of course there’ll be a plan b because it’d be naive, reckless even, to believe that every plan a will go through.
Kai Havertz is reported to be having his medical this weekend. It’s taking place overseas so he can continue with his holiday. True? Goodness only knows but we’ll find out soon enough. Allegedly, the knock-on effect of him signing for Arsenal is that Eddie Nketiah is concerned about how many minutes he’s going to play for Arsenal. It’s true honest, I read it somewhere yesterday but I was so distraught, I didn’t get to the end of the article. To make matters worse, this morning I saw that ‘Arsenal have named their price for Flo Balogun’ – a measly £35 million. Yet Canadian striker Jonathan David, a striker of similar age and strike rate last season in France, is valued at £50 million by Lille. Depending on which article one opts to read. Better still I think would be to keep Balogun and let him score goals for Arsenal.
If Nketiah wants out though, Arsenal should be asking for a £50 million fee, just as they should for Balogun too. In my opinion anyway because if the boot was on there foot so to speak and Arsenal were trying to sign either player from another club, that’s what we’d be expected to pay I’m sure. Look at Havertz – £65 million (reportedly) for a player who has hardly taken the Premier League by storm since joining Chelsea yet with Nketiah, he’ll score goals and lots of them in my opinion if he was playing regularly.
Who stays, leaves and joins Arsenal remains speculative right now. For all we know, Rice might be a done deal but he could also be a red herring as Arsenal go for someone totally different. The rumours about Man City could be just that. Rumours just so Arsenal offer a bit more. Three days ago, David Ornstein said City were expected to make an official bid to West Ham, a better one than Arsenal but unless his update has escaped me, that bid has not materialised. Yet.
It’s been written in many places that Rice only wants to join Arsenal. Well I can’t believe he’s told anyone other than those close to him, which club he wants to move to and I’m sure they’d have been sworn to secrecy. West Ham probably know too and it might just be that someone there has leaked something to the media. Money talks after all and in many ways.
The sad thing about all this ‘stuff’ written by journalists etc, is that we human beings can get drawn into believing there might be a element of truth to what they write and then when that particular story doesn’t come true, Arsenal have ‘failed’ to get a player signing over the line. Edu suddenly becomes useless, Arteta too, and on it goes…
…it’s only Arsenal for Jurrien Timber at this stage. Waiting for second proposal to be submitted soon. ⚪️🔴 #AFC
Personal terms agreed two days ago ⤵️ https://t.co/XoGZqE113Y
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 24, 2023
Catch up in the comments…
Morning Rico, another great spot on post Rico !
Thank You !
I’m trying so hard not to read anything from these so called experts in the KNOW . 90% of the time it’s complete crap !
Thank you for some real sanity.
Morning Mike, it’s all a bit easy to be drawn in isn’t it. I saw a few articles which are talking as if Rice has been signed… however…
Good morning Rico.
Ah! Dorset.In the early fifties we took family holidays in Boscombe (pre 1974 it was in Hampshire) as a child the beach there was where all I ever wanted to be. Sand castles, swimming then ice cream in The Igloo, Sea Road. The pier there was a wreck at that time, it had been blown up around the time of the Dunkirk evacuation to prevent it’s use by invading German troops. When my kids were young we stayed at a caravan park just outside Bridport. Fantastic memories.
No signings yet so we have to find something to talk about. 😉
Morning Cicero. Yes, anything right now is better than talking about non transfer deals. I didn’t know that about Dorset, thank you.
Afternoon all
Dunkirk is Dunkerque in French?
I’d like to go to Dorset.
At the moment, very hot in Portugal, going to the sea in the morning, seeing the beach and the sea during the day and taking advantage of the shade of the house.
Much is said about transfers and especially about many millions. Strange world this.
Morning Rico and all.
All these reporters talking about players taking a medical and yet still not much happening with any club.
JM, it’s vert hot here too 30c at the moment.
Hi Jm, Dorset is lovely. Most UK coastlines are if the weather is good.
Hi Geoff, patience is a virtue. Lol
ESR scores England U21’s second goal against Israel, 2 – 1 with less than ten minutes to go.
His second goal in consecutive matches.
38 degrees in Catalunya at lunch time . Haven’t seen anything in the Spanish rags and they are usually all over the rumour mill .
I’m watching Glastonbury. Cat Stevens is incredible.
Nice Potter…
27 degrees and lovely in Kent , but mind the sewage at the beaches !!!!!
I keep reading ‘FROM A RESPECTED JOURNALIST’ before most of these rumours……..Don’t make me laugh.
Yes Cicero, I’ve heard of California on the East Coast as opposed to the West Coast, I wonder which came first?
Strolling along the Norfolk coastline listening to the Beach Boys on my ear-pods, yep, I can just imagine it…
Palaeontology in Dorset, now there’s a thought Rico… 😉
Yes Bournemouth and Boscombe were once in Hampshire but have been in Dorset since the late 1980’s if I recall.
Regarding the price for Balogun, where is the source of this information or is it just speculation as is the case with 95% of what is written as ‘fact’…
News Now is an absolute shower of sh*t at this time of the year.
As a good friend of mine often opined ‘I can’t stand any of them’…
Amen to that…
Here’s a thought, Arsenal could be close to breaching FFP rules if they pay over the odds for Rice. How about Stan buying him for his MLS team, Colorado Rapids, and loaning him to Arsenal on a five year contract during which the original transfer fee can be repaid by instalments. Simples! 😉
On the Norfolk coast, California is close to the seaside resorts of Great Yarmouth, Caiser-on-Sea and Hemsby. California got its name when 16th century gold coins were discovered on the beach in 1848, the same time that the worlds attention was on the Californian gold rush.
Hopefully remains a thought too Kev. 😆
Apparently Arsenal looking at a plan b for midfield. Some chap called Forfana from France.
New post up now