Morning guys.
The weekend of Premier League fixtures started as expected with Man City beating Crystal Palace on Friday night but then yesterday threw out a few strange results. I saw some of the Totts highlights and they could have easily gone at least a couple of goals up and would have but for the Newcastle keeper but then Newcastle scored two and left north London with three points. At Anfield, Nottingham Forest very nearly cause the shock of the weekend by beating Liverpool but the home team grabbed an equaliser in the last ten minutes. Coady Gakpo looks set to leave Liverpool for Man City, no doubt making room for new signing Barcola but he’s not going to help them defend. In the other two games, Hill City beat Coventry City 1-0 while Bournemouth conceded a late goal against Everton as the game ended 1-1.
More fixtures today of course, the best perhaps coming at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea take on Brighton. Come on you seagulls…. It’s far too early for me to be ridiculing the likes of Totts and Liverpool because we of all fans know that the opening fixtures of any season, especially after a World Cup can be tricky. If de Zerbi gets his players ticking, they won’t be bottom of the league for long although enjoy whilst they are….quietly..
I don’t like Monday night fixtures in fact I’m pretty sure very few fans do. It’s a work night for starters and it’s unfair on away fans who probably don’t get home much before midnight but the game doesn’t think about the fans much because as long as the money keeps rolling in, everyone is happy. Other than travelling fans that is. Still, at least tomorrow it’s a shortish trip to Birmingham so I could be a lot worse. Hopefully we won’t play on a Monday again for a while because there’s something about playing after every other club I’m not so keen on.
It looks as if the Julian Alvarez saga is over if David Ornstein’s view of the situation is correct.
Yesterday, live on TNT/HBO Max, he said:
Atletico have closed the door to Barcelona, that won’t happen. They would do a deal with Arsenal. Arsenal are prepared to reach an agreement club to club, but they would want the player to want to join them and he’s shown no indication of wanting to at this point.
He’s spoken to Mikel Arteta and said he doesn’t want to come. That could change – could he soften in the days ahead? These situations are always moveable feasts, so I don’t want to pin my colours to the mast and say it won’t happen, but right now it’s not developing in the way that some have suggested.
Things change in football, we all know that but if Ornstein is 100% about Alvarez telling Mikel Arteta he doesn’t want to join Arsenal, that in my opinion should be the end of it. We need players who jump at the chance of playing for us, not those who see us as a way out of a bad situation with the view of getting to another club as soon as possible.
What do Arsenal do now I wonder. Vinicius ended up staying at Real Madrid, Alvarez could end up staying at Atletico and Arsenal, if reports have been true, haven’t signed either of their alleged two targets. The logic solution would to be to keep Gabriel Martinelli but football and logic seldom go hand in hand.
Catch up later.
New post up guys.
Morning all.
One of the better strikers to come through the academy in a while, certainly showed more potential than Eddie and we didn’t include a buy back clause? Odd to say the least.
If we end up not replacing Martinelli, I think we’ll be much weaker on the left.
When Arsenal finalized the deal with AS Monaco, the terms were highly structured: [1, 2]
Publicly, Mikel Arteta insisted the parting of ways was completely amicable, attributing it purely to squad depth and logistics: [1]
Flo Balogun could be a decent option, Everton are interested and his club Monaco are open to offers.
Good morning all.
Wishful thinking on all accounts I think..
Al hilal have just bought olli watkins i wonder if the Martinelli deal might founder
Offer trump half of Greenland, that should do it.😉
Would be great if he was but I read somewhere, I forget where, 2027 is more likely..
That’s right about Real Madrid- on that subject ish,I wonder if there’s any chance Saliba returns in time for the Champions league game in December.
Still time to call the deal off then.
I’m sure Trump would oblige if there was something in it for him…
Apparently Martinelli doesnt fly until Tuesday to have his medical . As that’s the day the window shuts can we persuade Trump to bomb someone and get all the fights called off .
Ollie Watkins sold for £50m at 30 years old
Gabriel Jesus sold for £8.5 million at 29 years old.
We really are poor at selling…
His name is Gabi! He’s from Sao Paulo! And he plays for Arsenaaal…” A football legacy is more about moments and feelings than data, transfer fees, and profits.
The thousands of supporters who lost their collective minds and sang to the heavens when Gabriel Martinelli produced one of his breakaway specials to seal the win against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu will never forget how their No 11 made them feel that night.
Their club were learning how to feast at the top European tables again, and Martinelli gobbled Real up with a late flourish. An impromptu party started outside the away exit, with drums and dancing and endless serenading of their Brazil winger. It was a Martinelli carnival, and nobody wanted to leave.
Here he is, just over a year later, ushered towards his exit. As reported on Sunday, he is set to join Al Hilal, with the clubs close to finalising a €70million (£60m) transfer.
He never wanted to leave. That much is clear. Since he joined Arsenal from Ituano in Brazil’s lower divisions as a teenager in 2019 with everything to prove, he gave everything to make Arsenal his special place. He gave an interview to the club website not long ago in which he summed up how strongly he felt about it all: “I love everything about Arsenal. I love the city. I love my team-mates. I love the fans. I am going to try my best for this football club because this club gave me everything. I don’t care about the money. I just want to play football.” The message was straightforward and genuine, just like him.
It has always been the nature of the game that players and managers move while supporters remain. That occasionally plays havoc emotionally, like any relationship that suddenly hits a breaking point. Most of the time everyone gets on with it — it’s football, it’s business — but sometimes it creates sadness as the level of attachment demands it. Even the section of Arsenal supporters who craved an upgrade on the left side recognise Martinelli played a significant part in a big chapter of history under Mikel Arteta and defended the shirt with a burning passion that will be missed.
Just this past week, football has thrown up examples of transfer stories that carry totally different emotional weight. Liam Delap moved from Chelsea to Nottingham Forest after an unconvincing season at Stamford Bridge. It is his seventh club in a little over four years. The connections were inevitably relatively superficial at Chelsea and everyone seems happy enough with the deal.
In Spain, Julian Alvarez is the centre of a maelstrom at Atletico Madrid, deeply unhappy, desperate to go to Barcelona, and his club are hellbent on that not happening. He was a starlet at River Plate, signed by Manchester City, and became a record signing and poster boy at Atletico only for the image to crack so deeply this summer. He looks like he would do anything to get out of his contract and to force his dream move.
Behind the goal celebrations and striving for success in a team’s sacred colours, players are cogs in football’s global, corporate, financially driven machine. Martinelli has discovered that for himself this summer — a sentiment that feels particularly sharp as his destination is the Saudi League when he is certain he has more to offer at a high level
His impact was felt at a time when Arsenal as a team and club were a bit lost — that was keenly felt culturally, and in terms of ambition, through erratic performances and results. Three young amigos came into the team and transformed the mood. They brought a sense of renewed hope. Martinelli, Saka and Emile Smith Rowe injected bravery and belief into Arsenal. They shouldered a responsibility many more experienced players struggled to match.
He arrived in the underwhelming years. He grew up as the team grew up.
His expected departure brings sadness, regret and puzzlement. Although he will be handsomely rewarded, it doesn’t make too much football sense that he is headed to Saudi Arabia at the age of 25 — a player who contributed to the ending of a 22-year wait for the Premier League title and was a couple of penalty kicks (or saves) away from being the top scorer in a team that was mighty close to winning the Champions League.
The price is too tempting for Arsenal, but in this wild market not as inflated as others who have not achieved anything close to what he has. It is reasonable to imagine how productive he might be in Spain or Italy (where there is reluctance to pay high transfer fees) or why another Premier League club wasn’t keen to bring in a player of his profile, experience and dedication.
He was far from prolific last season in the league but has in the past racked up strong enough numbers to suggest he is more than capable. He still managed 18 goal involvements in 2025-26. In the past five seasons he hit double figures for combined goals and assists every time, and notably struck 15 Premier League goals in Arsenal’s first title challenge in 2022-23.
He was always keen to sign any new contract and was an integral part of the team that kept pushing until they finally won the league. Over the summer, Arsenal’s finances, and market forces, made him expendable. It is against his wishes, but he has been compelled to accept it and look forward.
With Leandro Trossard, who earned cult hero status also sold, that left hand flank feels very different all of a sudden. Christos Tzolis has made a big impression but has a fair bit to do to surpass the feelings and moments his predecessors generated.
A renovation of Arsenal’s left flank, and a need to address the balance sheets after so many summers where the money generated by sales barely scratched the surface of the sums thrown at investment, in effect shoved Martinelli towards the exit. It has hurt a lot of people around the club because he is such a popular player and team-mate.
While Arteta seeks to fine tune his squad (Gabriel Jesus is closing in on a move to Barcelona), Arsenal will miss certain Martinelli qualities. That raw pace that gave him the signature goal of haring from the halfway line towards an opponent’s goal. That innate hunger to do his defensive work when it was needed. That determination to chase every cause.
He would leave a champion. He remains beloved. The memories he produced in Arsenal colours are eternal. Little Gabi, as he was known, played with such a big heart and departs knowing that he gave his all.
Amy Lawrence Since football fandom kicked in in the 1970s, the path to football writing started as a teenager scribbling for a fanzine. After many years with the Guardian and the Observer, covering the game from grassroots to World Cup finals, Amy Lawrence joined The Athletic in 2019.
He struggled at Real Madrid though Limey.
Ipswich have just scored against Man United- great finish.
Chelsea look mighty impressive going forward,shaky at the back though. Alonso is a top manager so he could sort that out in time.
Good news about the outgoings,I have mixed feelings about Martinelli,I wonder if he will be replaced ?
☹️
Sorry that should be £55.3 million, Jesus agreed in principle to move to Barca for £8.6 million. Vieira to Hamburg for £7.7 million.
Martinelli sold to Al Hilal for £57 million
According to El mundo they are buying Jesus but they still want Alvarez
I thought Brighton might get something today. Chelsea are doing well. For now…
Hamburg are close to an agreement to sign Arsenal’s Fabio Vieira on a permanent deal.
Vieira, 26, spent last season on loan with the Bundesliga club and will return to Germany for a fee of around €10m (£8.5m; $11.6m).
Looks all over for Brighton, Chavs lead 4 – 2. 77 mins.moo moo moo x
Jesus is heading to Barcelona according to the BBC. Brilliant move for him and Arsenal..
Barcelona are closing in on a move for Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus worth £8.6m (10m euros).
A deal for the Brazil international is believed to be at an advanced stage and, while the finer details still require finalising, the transfer is expected to be completed before Tuesday’s deadline.
Brilliant news..
We’ve just announced the signing of three more youngsters, a defender, a midfielder and a winger. The academy is proving popular with other clubs youngsters.
Afternoon Geoff, join the club…
Afternoon Rico and all.
Chelsea has already selected Emiliano Martines for his first match, I hope they get smashed as I can’t stand him
That might happen yet but if he goes on loan, that club should pay his wages I think.
Perhaps Arsenal will go for Elanga, he’s already doing the Henry goal celebration 😜
Would not be an idea to cancel Vieira’s contract so he can move on as a free agent and we can get his wages off the books.
I’ve just argued with myself. 😜
I read somewhere that Atletico are interested in Jesus so hopefully a deal can be done. I’d imagine a loan deal for Vieira looms and that’ll be the end of his career with us.
Morning Cicero, Kev. All the time Martinelli is an Arsenal player, I hope it stays that way. Mind you, he might feel a bit cheesed off by now although he looked happy in training.
Following on from what you wrote yesterday Rico, including Merino, we have a 22 man squad excluding our young professionals and if Martinelli stays that’s 23, so room for two more additions if need be. Of course Jesus might end up being one of those and the jury is out on Vieira?
Both Man City and Chelsea look dangerous so far, the rest are a mixed bag playing like strangers, but yeah you’re right, Tottenham were unlucky, they look good going forward.
Morning Rico, morning champions, Alvarez has made his position clear and so the Arsenal should move on immediately and do whatever last minute business they have in the pipeline, one would imagine that Berta has at least one other plate spinning, possibly two, that he can pivot towards between now and Tuesday?
I did hear a rumour that the Real Madrid fans have been vocally over critical of Vini Junior regarding his performances of late, so instead of being the hero of north London he’s the whipping boy of Madrid. Consequences my dear boy.
Alvarez is going to be in for a tough few months, just as well that he has his extended family around him as he’ll probably need every one of them…
Good morning Rico, there’s a list of ins and outs on the Arsenal website, it seems a little early with a couple of days to go in the transfer window, no mention of Martinelli in the outs, could it mean our business is done and dusted?
One option on the wing which has been banded around in the papers is Iliman Ndiaye
but it looks like he’s off to Totts.