Unai Emery’s team now complete. New number one in but two out.

Morning all.

It seems Unai Emery has now sorted his backroom team out. Jens Lehmann has departed but Steve Bould remains in the same role he’s been in for a number of years. Big news this I think because not only does he keep an Arsenal man in, but Bould is the guy many of us believe was prevented from doing his defensive duties on the training pitch under Arsene Wenger. How the team defend over the next few weeks and months will finally prove us to be right or wrong.

The team in full is:

First Team Assistant Head Coach, Juan Carlos Carcedo; First Team Assistant Head Coach, Steve Bould; First Team Coach, Pablo Villanueva; Director of High Performance, Darren Burgess; Strength and Conditioning Coach, Julen Masach; Goalkeeping Coach, Javi Garcia; Goalkeeping Coach, Sal Bibbo and Data/Video Analyst, Victor Manas

Signing number two is done and dusted and if Bernd Leno fulfills the potential he’s shown on many occasion then we might just have nabbed a good one. I know he doesn’t arrive with a reputation somewhere similar to Jan Oblak at Real Madrid but we’ll just have to wait and see what he’s like now he’s got a new challenge ahead.

“For me it’s a dream to play for Arsenal.

“I was excited and proud, because Arsenal is such a big club all over the world. In Germany, Arsenal are so famous and when I heard it, I was a little bit nervous but at that moment it was clear for me: I wanted to sign for Arsenal.

“I’ll try to help the team to come back to the Champions League and to win some trophies. Arsenal belong in the Champions League.

“Now it’s a new chapter for the club. I spoke to Unai Emery and he said that he believes I’m a good goalkeeper, and that he wanted me to join.”

Refreshing to hear I thought and no messing. We wanted him, he couldn’t refuse.

Sometimes a move can be the making of a player and we of all fans should know that. So many of Arsene Wenger’s early signings were struggling where they were before raising their game so many levels to thrive at Arsenal. Not many keepers I know but maybe we’ll get lucky this time. At least the goalkeeping coaches are different now. Cech, Ospina or even both could be on their way out I’d imagine.

World Cup fixtures for today:

Uruguay v Saudi Arabia, Portugal v Morocco, Iran v Spain.

Mohamed Elneny could soon be out of the World Cup after Egypt suffered defeat again yesterday. They now need a big victory in their final match against Saudi Arabia and hope that Uruguay suffer hefty defeats both tonight and in their final fixture, something I can’t really see happening.

Well I guess if Egypt go out, Elneny will be off on his holiday to enjoy a bit of a break before pre season begins which isn’t actually that far off. Our fixtures this summer are good ones with some tough ones lined up too.

One player who won’t be part of the pre season, or any further football for Arsenal is Jack Wilshere. Yesterday evening he confirmed he’s leaving the club after seventeen years and in a statement on his Instagram page, he said:

I felt that I was ultimately left with little choice but to make the decision that I have due to purely footballing reasons. Such was my desire to stay that I had in fact recently agreed to sign a financially reduced contract in order to commit my future to the club

.”My intention throughout these discussions has always been to remain an Arsenal player. I have been on the books at Arsenal for 17 years and have always felt part of the fabric of the club.

”Following my meeting with the new manager I was made aware that although the reduced contract offer remained, it was made clear to me that my playing time would be significantly reduced should I decide to stay. I am sure everyone can understand that at this point in my life and career I need to be playing first-team football and following my meeting with Mr Emery I came away feeling that it would be very difficult for me to do so at Arsenal.

”Given this, I feel I have no option but to pursue other opportunities in order to progress my career on the pitch.”

I’m not surprised really but it’s just a great shame that during his years with the club, he’s only played under one manager. Maybe a different one with different better coaching staff around him, he’d have learned a different way to play, a way that would have seen him avoid so many injuries, a way which would have made his less vulnerable to the footballing bullies out there. He may have improved vastly too but he still can as he’s relatively young. I really hope he takes a big step in his career now and takes Juventus up on their offer if there really is one. Max Allegri could be great for him. Also, it’ll be strange to see him at another Premier League club, sad even as he’s the only real Mr Arsenal we had left at the club. Wherever he goes though, I wish him well and hope his injuries are a thing of the past.

As in all cases though, his departure leaves space for another to fill. Ainsley Maitland-Niles could be that player, another guy who has Arsenal running through his veins having been at the club since he was six years old and has recently signed a new long term contract which suggests he’s a player Emery rates quite highly.

Football is what it is though, players come and go through what appears to be a forever revolving door, it’s just at Arsenal, we’ve not really been used to it. Players have come, stayed, especially the not so good ones and because of it, those good ones eventually go. Looking around the top clubs, most of the quality players are bought in from elsewhere with very few who have come through the youth system. By that I mean proper homegrown players and not those plucked from some other clubs academy.

Arsenal though seem to have a glut of talent coming through and imo, if they continue to work hard and improve, they’ll get their chance. Hopefully their dream too and that’s playing for the club they grew up with, not with the first one who tempts them away any which way they can.

As I’ve said before, this is a whole new Arsenal from top to bottom and for once I reckon if the players at the club are good enough, they’ll get their chance regardless of what name is on the back of their shirt. No favourites, no favours, just their football being the reason for their selection. It’s up to all of them to prove they should be ones on the teamsheet, no one else.

I’ve gone on a bit. Oops….