The rumour factories (I hate to call them rumour mills that is so 19th century) have suddenly sprung into life. Now as you may know I don’t normally do Sundays vis a vis the writing lark, but there being no other stories around except Germany won on penalties (and that is hardly news) I received an urgent telex at the ancestral home asking me to cover ever single rumour this morning.
First, a bit of background.
We have in the past actually signed players on 3 July. For example…
3 July 1925: Charles Buchan, the man who helped develop WM, re-signed by Arsenal in £100/goal deal. He played 102 games scoring 49 goals before finally retiring in 1928. Buchan’s first signing for Arsenal.
3 July 1997: Alex Manninger transferred from Grazer AK for £1m. In 1998, with an injury to David Seaman, Alex played six games without conceding a goal, and was then dropped upon Seaman’s return.
3 July 2000: Robert Pires signed from Marseille for the astoundingly low figure of £6m. Also that summer Wiltord was purchased for £13m and Overmars went to Barca for £25m.
3 July 2000: Eduardo César Daude Gaspar (Edu) joined Arsenal from Corinthians. Unfortunately his Portuguese passport was a fake, but he qualified for an Italian passport because of his father was Italian. He signed again for Arsenal on 16 January 2001.
3 July 2001: Sol Campbell signed after 11 years with Tottenham. He had played 255 times for Tottenham, and stayed with Arsenal for five years before moving on to Portsmouth.
That is quite a list, so maybe that is why suddenly the click bait sites are back with avengence tempting us onto their adverts with their invented transfers. Indeed they see to have gone bonkers. Football Insider for example has now become such a click bait it is actually impossible to get to the story so who the international attacking ace that we are signing at this very moment is, I can’t say.
So giving up on that I thought I would produce a Sunday Supplement. A guide to headline writing so if you want to set up your own bloggetta you will instantly have enough headlines to keep you going for a week or two. And a chance to remember those transfers we did do on this day in history.
And I can assure you it doesn’t mention Iceland.
Headline: Have Bayern ‘done a Suarez’ with transfer bid for Arsenal’s Koscielny?
Translation: The story has been running around that Koscielny is in the last year of his contract so Bayern can pick him up for nothing, but the Sun says no, the contract runs to 2019.
Reality: A chance to bash Arsenal over “making a mistake” with the Suarez contract, forgetting that the Liverpool owner later revealed in a conference in the US that he had lied, lied and lied again about the contract.
Headline: Arsenal expect to sign no.10 forward, Wenger wants deal done in days
Translation: Arsenal to sign Japanese striker Takuma Asano.
Reality: Storyteller can’t be arsed to find anything new, so runs last week’s story again with “within days” at the end.
Headline: Arsenal – Zlatan Will Vindicate Olivier Giroud
Translation: Giroud is finding life in England harder and harder and Ibrahimovic will struggle even more.
Reality: Giroud scored 24 goals last season – his largest total with Arsenal and doesn’t actually need any vindication.
Headline: BREAKING: Official‘scheduled to fly over’for Arsenal talks in deal for 26-year-old
Translation: Arsenal sorting out a deal with Roma over Wojciech Szczęsny’s position next season
Reality: Arsenal want to continue the loan, and keep Ospina as number 2 after an amazing display in the Copa America. Roma are haggling over the cost of Szczesny’s salary. Szczesny is reported to have said that he likes Rome.
Headline: Predicting The Top 4 Next Season: Arsenal The Surprise Winners, Manchester Clubs Back To Their Best
Translation: We are just few days away from the start of the Premier League… Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea have new managers… Klopp will be hoping for some success in first full year at Anfield… Wenger on the other hand is desperate to end Premier League drought blah blah blah
Reality: Sorry I must have dropped off there for a while but I really can’t find anything in the story which expands on the headline about Arsenal as Surprise Winners.
Headline: Great Deal: Arsenal Have Made Two Midfield Signings For The Price Of One
Translation: Granit can play deep midfield or further forward midfield
Reality: I think we already knew that. The midfield with Elneny having been signed and a fit Santi Caz does look very promising. And then there is the NEW RAMSEY as we must now learn to call him after his performance for Wales.
Headline: Another player set to snub Arsenal in favour of Chelsea move – report
N’Golo Kante might be leaving, Arsenal have been “linked”
Reality: Pick a player, pick a club, mix em up and write it down and then claim that Arsenal were interested and tried to buy him but he chose to go elsewhere.
Headline: Wenger contract talks, Gunners miss out on ace,
Translation: Kalidou Koulibaly is going to Chelsea.
Reality: The guys on the news desk were out late last night and didn’t come into work this morning. Everyone knows Wenger has one year to go on his contract and parts of the press are talking up his takeover as England manager, even though Mr W has said he wouldn’t like to be an international manager because what he enjoys most of all is the training ground work with the players.
Headline: Arsenal leading race for £72m-rated No.9 deadly hitman
Translation: Arsenal are favourites to sign Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain
Reality: No evidence that the story that first ran just before we signed Ozil is now true, but on the other hand it could be that once again Higuain is a smokescreen for a transfer that is even more exciting.
Headline: Key Arsenal target arrives in England to complete his medical
Translation: Nolito is on the verge of joining Manchester City after reports of his medical
Reality: When Arsenal sign a player the event is either very well signalled, as with Granit, or else pops up out of the blue as with Ozil. The bloggettas are never the first to know so they set the site to signal this as an Arsenal story to get it into the Arsenal news feeds – and oh look, it ain’t. If you ever want to advertise on a site, take a look at how long the average reader spends on the site, and how many stories the average reader reads per session.
Headline: Arsenal launch move for Napoli’s 25-yr-old
Translation: Arsenal keen to sign Koulibaly
Reality: Who knows?
Headline: Arsenal interested in signing Borussia Dortmund star, claims insider
Translation: Arsenal have been linked with interest in signing defender Neven Subotic from Borussia Dortmund, according to Emanuele Giulianelli
Reality: He’s a 27 year old Serbian defender who plays as a centre back. The basis for this story is completely unclear, but names written on a piece of paper and dropped in a hat might have something to do with it.
So there you have it. A Buchan, Pires, Manninger, Eduardo or Campbell in there? Maybe not. But we can always hope.
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Arsenal in the 1930s – the full story of 1930/1, Arsenal’s first league championship, has been told in a series of 12 episodes. Probably the most detailed analysis ever published.
We have now reached November 1931, Chapman’s exasperation with keepers. December 31 is about to follow.
A few comments from Kevin Keegan a great player and former England manager.
“Batistuta is very good at pulling off defenders.”
“People will say that was typical City, which really annoys me. But that’s typical City, I suppose…”
“If I had a blank piece of paper there’d be five names on it.”
“England have the best fans in the world and Scotland’s fans are second to none.”
“By the end Asprilla was knackered-o. I think that’s the Spanish for it.”
“They’re the second best team in the world and there’s no higher praise than that.”
“He’s using his strength and that is his strength, his strength.”
“You can’t do better than go away from home and get a draw.”
“The tide is very much in our court now.”
“There’ll be no siestas in Madrid tonight.”
“It’s understandable that people are keeping one eye on the pot and another up the chimney.”
“In some ways, cramp is worse than having a broken leg.”
“It’s like a toaster, the ref’s shirt pocket. Every time there’s a tackle, up pops a yellow card.”
“I’d love to be a mole on the wall in the Liverpool dressing room at half-time.”
“The game has gone rather scrappy as both sides realise they could win this match or lose it.”
“That would have been a goal if it wasn’t saved.”
I’m surprised that we haven’t been linked with ex Gunner Hal Robson-Kanu. Samuel mentioned him yesterday & someone on 7amkickoff much earlier, but you’d have thought his agent would have been making mischief by now.
@ Leon
It’s all a matter of time. Someone will soon figure it out as fresh news especially now that he is out of contract. It is been mentioned that 4 premier league sides are interested and I won’t be surprised if Arsenal is linked as one of them by tomorrow.
You know the press and as the have built this notion that Wenger is stingy. This transfer rumour will be the perfect tool to use in clubbing him more. What is now been said is that Chelsea signs Batsuayi, Man City signs Nolito, Man Utd signs Ibrahimovic and Arsenal is going for an unknown Japanese. Why so much disparaging comments?
Disparaging comments are there not because the particular player Arsenal seems to be chasing is Japanese, nor is it because he is unkown. It is that at best the lucky guy is a youth player who is destined to be loaned out. So benefit to the current squad at the moment. While other teams are strengthening their squads we are recruiting players to be loaned out. To comment on that is not disparaging. This is my view.
Sorry about the typo: It should say “So, NO benefit to the current squad”. Apologies.
http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/20160702/arsenal-agree-deal-for-japan-forward
wow one story is seemingly real. Welcome Takuma
@ Peter 12
When you begin to say Wenger is going for an unknown Japanese player (to which I have no qualms about) and turn around to mention players our supposed competition are signing and end you comment by insulating that Wenger has lost it and should therefore be either sacked or fanned out to the FA, it’s disparaging in my book.
I’m pretty certain that some of the other big teams have bought young players this summer (summer….hahahaha).
When we got Xhaka did all the papers mention them buying youth squad members whilst we got a 1st team member?
I think not.
It’s the dual standards they live by.
Typo there.
I meant “….end your comment by insinuating….”
Welcome to the club Takuma “The Jaguar” Asano! Look forward to watching your development!
@Peter, Arsenal has already signed a player to strengthen the squad- Grant Xhaka- keep up with the times mate!
Sorry, autocorrect issues- meant to say Granit
Welcome to Asano. I think he’s in for a bit of a culture shock though. A League is reasonably clean and I’d bet he’s never experienced a studs up challenge of the type he’ll get here.
Wenger as England manager……cannot see it ever happening for so many reason, but he should feign interest for the next year or so , to get some favour from the inept FA, aim the hope they call Mike Riley’s boys off his team.
Chief Broeckx, I typed on phone and clicked that website address you said is the confirmation that Arsenal have signed the Japanese youngster – Takuma. But surprisingly, that your website address took me to the signing of Granit Xhaka and not Takuma. Maybe you’ve made a mistake in typing the correct website address.
Sorry, OT, but confirmed Arteta will join forces with Pep at City.
A real shame we could not find a place for him, but Mikel, thanks for being a great player and captain, and for all you have done during some….relatively speaking…..dark hours for the team.
In perhaps two, or three years , the club may need another man of integrity, ability, tactical acumen, steely resolution, a man steeped in the Arsenay way, a manwho loves the club. Mikel, you have learned from Barca, Moyes, Wenger, and now, Pep.
Mikel, learn well. And be ready for the day in the not too distant future when the club you love may well need your steady hand once more.
Mandy Dodd
You put it much poetically than I could, but yes, with Arsene likely to sign another three year deal, Mikel would hopefully be a good fit to replace him. It’s not such bad news, he’ll be learning from his friend and probably the best coach in the business right now.
Samuel
Just go to http://www.arsenal.com You will find the story
Sorry Mr Broeckx, I’ve just clicked on the Arsenal website portal on my phone and Takuma’s picture came up to greet me. True, Arsenal said they’ve concluded a deal to sign him but subject to his passing a medical. And later obtaining a resident & work permit before he can play for Arsenal.
All the WOBs are up in arms on Twitter about the Asano signing just like ElNeny’s, just because they are not from traditional football nations it does not mean they are not good players. Welcome to the Arsenal family Takuma.
Off subject a little, but that German bloke, you know the one, the one that has “been nicking a living here” did ok last night.
Paul the goner
Indeed.
The young welsh lad hasn’t been doing too bad either. You know the one that Wenger was a muppet to stick with a couple of years back.
Sorry Paul, the ‘gooner’
For those who want to see a bit of the new youngster
Keep looking till the end. One of the last goals. Reminded me of someone. Not to put any pressure or too high expectations on him.3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geg1GfaxhhU
@Walter,
Good link to watch some of his highlights. A couple things that popped out watching the youngster in the highlights: he seems comfortable shooting with both feet, seems to have a good first touch, and very quick initial burst of acceleration. Wish him the best. We might have gotten a hidden gem!
Peter12…………So you read Wenger’s mind now! Amazing……nowhere is it indicated officially that he’ll be loaned out. Wenger knows Japanese players very well AND he knows they take time to bed in to EPL Football, so he , unlike you, knows what to do to develop their confidence and skills needed to thrive in the EPL.
You consider Granit Xhaka NOT a transfer that will strengthen the Arsenal? FFS it is the first day of the transfer window and you’re already whining about what Wenger is doing. Your comments are rather disparaging and insulting to Wenger, the Club you supposedly support and to AFC’s professionalism…..come back when you’ve thought things through please!
Welcome Takuma. There are reports section of arsenal supporters want Arsene Wenger to go for our former striker robin van persie, and he is looking to ply his trade at a London club. Wonder if there is any truth in that??
If Wenger is offered another 3 year deal and signs it without doing anything to warrant another 24 million quid t,here will be a backlash with the fans more than anything that was seen this season.The other top clubs do not tolerate failure but we seem to embrace it.Second place now is deemed as success to us.
I’d rather have Quaresma than RVP-theyre both coming to the end but RQ is a strong player,skillful and tough and has that drive to win,thats if we were to take guys aged 32.
I know RVP plays down the middle an RQ on the right- I mean more taking on an older player.
Another one of our useless players on the score sheet.
Would you believe it.
You show em Olivier.
2 goals and involved in another 2? Was it a dummy to send griezeman through. Townsend seemed to suggest it was an accidental flick. No clear replays. I didn’t hear one mention of his header down in the payet goal
Thanks for the alert on Takuma Asano. Now seen it on the Arsenal web site. That will be another one that will get a tiny mention, if any at all, in tomorrow’s papers. It looks as if he’s off to the Olympics so let’s hope he does well and comes back raring to go.
lee……oh please pick up your direct line to the Arsenal Board and let them know your brilliant managerial insights so they can slap Wenger on the wrist and teach him a lesson!!! Or better still, get a manager’s job in a sunday league ladies team and show them how wonderful an expert you are……or better still F**K OFF!
You are an aaa dickhead with absolutely NO knowledge of anything Football-related so go toLeGrovel and enjoy your other sewer-rats company!
Lee what other top clubs are you talking about. There are two other clubs that have won the PL more than us Man U and Liverpool. None of them even figure in the top 4. Liverpool haven’t won anything in years. ManU dropped off after Ferguson era and have hired Moo ? to get them some where this year. If ur referring to Chelsea and City as top clubs, I think ur bonkers and have been washed away by their infinite cash resource’s. Their combined total of PL cups don’t match ours and it’s 9between them and we have 13. We have managed to move from 4th to 2nd taking it step by step. It’s time to climb the last step and we could do with out pessimists to spoil the fun even before it’s started.
Omg last time i saw your pic you were scruffier than a sewer rat.In fact you looked like a tramp that hadnt shaved for a month .No wonder you took it down!!
@ WalterBroeckx – July 3, 2016 at 5:42 pm – Thanks for the link . I agree he seems to have it all. Hope he makes the grade with us .
@ omgarsenal July 3, 2016 at 10:56 pm – You’re sounding quite the Bill-From-Manhattan-ish ! A big LIKE from me !
I see Untold’s self appointed police force is on good form.
Lee
Is personal abuse the best you can do?
Pat
You’re being a little selective there aren’t you? His abuse was retaliatory, albeit a bit OTT.
Of slutty parrots and answered prayers !
A lady goes to her parish priest one day and tells him: “Father, I have a problem. I have two female parrots but they only know how to say one thing.”
“What do they say?” the priest inquired. “They say, ‘Hi, we’re prostitutes. Do you want to have some fun?”
“That’s obscene!” the priest exclaimed, “I can see why you are embarrassed.” He thought a minute and then said: “You know, I may have a solution to this problem. I have two male parrots whom I have taught to pray and read the Bible.
Bring your two parrots over to my house and we will put them in the cage with Francis and Job. My parrots can teach your parrots to praise and worship. I’m sure your parrots will stop saying that…that phrase in no time.”
“Thank you. This may very well be the solution,” the woman responded.
The next day, she brought her female parrots to the priest’s house. As he ushered her in, she saw the two male parrots were inside their cage, holding their rosary beads and praying. Impressed, she walked over and placed her parrots in with them. After just a couple of seconds, the female parrots exclaimed out in unison: “Hi, we’re prostitutes. Do you want to have some fun?”
There was a stunned silence. Finally, one male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and said: “Put the beads away, Francis, our prayers have been answered!”