Morning all.
Yesterday afternoon, Arsenal FC announced that Vivianne Miedema was leaving the club at the end of the season. The news came as a bit of a shock to me as she’s still only 27 years old. The Dutch forward has been with Arsenal for seven years having joined from Bayern Munich back in 2017. 172 games played, 125 goals scored and 50 assists is a very special record. She was part of a WSL squad, well, more like first team, which won the title in 20/19 and she has 3 FA Cup winners medals too. An ACL injury which kept her out of the game for a long time has seen her struggle a little this campaign with just 13 appearances to her name but she’s been an absolutely fantastic player for Arsenal, the Netherlands and the women’s game in general.
Other than her club medals, Miedema is the current all-time top-scorer in the WSL, winning the WSL Golden Boot in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons. She was Arsenal’s Player of the Season for the 2019/20 campaign and won the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award in 2021.
Sporting Director Edu Gaspar said:
On behalf of everyone at the club, we thank Viv for her huge contribution towards the success of the team during her seven years with us. Viv’s goals and overall performances as an Arsenal player have been of the highest quality, and she has created so many wonderful memories for us over the years. We wish Viv and her family the best of health and happiness for the future.
I think fans of the Arsenal women’s team are going to miss her, as will her teammates. That’s football though and the women’s game is no different to the men’s as players come and go often but with Miedema, it does kind of feel like an end of an era.
Another player reported to be leaving Arsenal this summer is 19 year old Reuell Walters who has according to The Athletic, rejected the offer of a new contract so he’ll depart for free next month. I don’t doubt for one minute he’ll be the only academy player leaving this summer.
I’ve learned not to get frustrated when academy players reject Arsenal’s offer to stay because very few go on to do great things. Omari Hutchinson left us for Chelsea a year or so ago, obviously expecting bigger and better opportunities but he’s exactly where he would have been had he stayed at Arsenal. Out on loan! Marcus McGuane no doubt thought his career would rocket when he left for Barcelona but now he’s playing for Oxford. Still, they’re both playing I guess but possibly not for who they thought they would be. Tough eh….
Liverpool blew a two goal lead at Villa Park last night to draw 3-3 with Unai Emery’s side. Not quite what I’d hoped for but it still gives Totts a chance of Champions League football if they win their last two games and Villa lose on the final day of the season. They’re playing Crystal Palace away so a win is far from being a forgone conclusion. City’s recent record against Totts in London isn’t that good but when we played them just a week ago, Big Ange’s side weren’t very good really. Had it not been for a couple of Arsenal errors, we’d have beaten them comfortably and honestly, I expect City to batter them. Whatever the result, the league title won’t be decided until Sunday.
Catch up in the comments.
Morning Rico
I expect the love for Miedema will fade when the fans find out she has done an ‘Adebayor’ and signed for Man City. it looks like the women’s game will follow the men’s game where Chelsea paid over the odds for the best players only to be eclipsed by Man City doing the same.
If the Club were that keen on Walters he wouldn’t be leaving. Shame we won’t get any money for him. Maybe Patino’s transfer will bring in a few pennies, although his stock has slipped sitting on the bench for a season at Swansea.
I hope the rumours about Smith-Rowe frequenting the kebab shop aren’t true.
Anything else going on?
Morning rico, all. Surprised with Miedema leaving after recovering from serious injury, especially as her partner Beth in same team. Hope relationship hadn’t gone wrong or had any bearing on things.
Not expecting anything tonight, Fulham was the one I hoped for and look how that turned out!
Good to see Emirates will be ladies main stadium next year!
Morning Pete, Andrew.
Really Pete, I didn’t know that about City. No love lost then if that’s the case…
I’m not so sure re Walters, I think he’s looked at who is ahead of him and thought he’s got no chance of breaking through.
I know we talk and criticise City, Chelsea etc for signing players but we’re not far behind them these days. After all, most of the players in the first team have been paid for under Arteta’s reign. Ok, we might not spend as much money as the other two clubs but we’re not shy of paying big money on transfers.
Not one player is our regular starting eleven hasn’t been bought other than Saka.
That’s great news Andrew, it’ll generate a lot more money for women’s side of the club and bring in better players.
Afternoon Rico and allies. I come to you from the rank in Docklands.
It’s warm and very very enjoyable despite the cloud and showers.
Talking of showers it’s disappointing to see Walters leaving but not at all surprising given who young Reuell has to displace, I mean Saliba and Gabriel are going to be fixtures in our team until the end of this decade at the earliest, so if you’re a young centre back at Arsenal I’d advise you to learn how to play full-back and midfield.
I reckon if the wall at the back and the Rolls Royce continue their run of appearances unabated then we might have a job holding onto Kiwior beyond next season let alone any academy prospect.
I mean, I really like the kid at Everton who plays centre back for them but if you was him, would you move to Arsenal given what’s in front of you…
Afternoon Kev, there might have been a right back slot for him if he proved himself. Irrelevant now if he’s off.
Kiwior hasn’t played one match at centre back this season which considering that’s his natural position probably tells us how reluctant Arteta is to rotate his centre pairing. Or how little he rates him as a centre back. Had Timber/Tomi not been injured, he might not have played at all.
The other position he can play in is Cm/Dm. Maybe thats the long term plan for him…
Arteta likes players who are versatile Rico, who can ideally play in several roles, more often than not in the same game, that’s the way the really top teams are going.
I think they tried Walters at full/back in the U21’s and it was kinda meh. He seems far more comfortable at centre-back, much as would be the case with Saliba for example.
Mikel should have used him off of the bench and would have if he’d really rated him, we might not have even signed Kiwior if he rated him, so I think that Reuell has made the right choice for himself.
Kev, I think these youngsters get fed up with going on loan which if right is crazy really. If they didn’t try and run before they walk, they might make better decisions.
But, if Nketiah, ESR and Nelson are an example, our younger players need to be a super talent if they’re to get a chance.
Isn’t Reuell a right side player rather than left like Kiwior? I assumed Kiwior was brought in as cover for central defence first and foremost but being left footed, filled in at left back when both Zinchenko and Tomiyasu were absent.
Kev you need to watch out for Chinese spies disguised as special constables in the City.
Anyone watching the Totts game?
Nope, me neither…
I am nil nil half time . City better team but Totts not laying down yet .
While also engaging in other activities, I continue to watch. So far, it’s been good; let’s see what unfolds. The Spurs have been defending resolutely and have launched several near-successful counterattacks. The TV camera sporadically captures the fans in the stands, showcasing a spectrum of emotions on their faces, some with a timid smile-Guessing what’s going through their minds is as much a speculation for you as it is for me.
City leads the way, one-nil.
I’m just checking the score and now wish I hadn’t 😜
They’ve done it again, gone all Spursy. Still not over, now we need to beat Everton and for West Ham to get a point.
The fat lady is putting on her make up.
Penalty decided it at the end , 2 nought . I thought he got the ball but there did not seem to be any VAR on it so I suppose I was wrong. Can’t believe that Son missed the one on one 9 times out of ten he scores that.
Disappointed but not surprised. It’s been 2nd in my head since the Villa game. Once we lost control of our own destiny, there was only ever going to be one winner imo..
looks like the premier league love child will cheat their way to a 4th title in a row, unless we are lucky to win next week and they loose or draw, but knowing our luck our refs and VAR will be refs who hate us, and city will get ref and Var who love them.
They’re everywhere these Chinese everywhere Cicero
Did any of you really, I mean really, think that Tottenham wouldn’t do a Tottenham in the end???
If my son hadn’t texted me I wouldn’t have known that they were losing as I’d managed to disengage altogether. Watching some brief highlights when I got in and City deserved to win on the night even if they’re cheats overall.
For me Arsenal have been truly amazing and are champions in all but name. Coming 2nd to a club that has cheated on an industrial scale is nothing to feel ashamed of…
At 1 nil with 20 minutes to go ,I had hope and then 3 minutes from the end we had in the words of Brian Moore an up for grabs now moment but Son fluffed it. Then into injury time and the obligatory penalty put everyone out of their misery.
Coming second to an artificially financed club is good but in the mists of time the records will show that we came second and that’s all.
I have serious doubts that the 115 charges will ever amount to any great penalty to seriously affect them and I will not be surprised should Everton and Forest sue the F.A for recompense for if nothing else the money lost on the sliding scale of final positions which in Everton’s case could be up to 5 positions , Forest though no change.
Morning all.
Perhaps we should try and sign the City keeper after his heroics. Arteta likes an ex City player…
New post up now.
Potter, I still maintain that Arsenal only have themselves to blame for not winning the league.