By Sir Hardly Anyone
According to those who know these things, or at least those who claim that they know these things, this is going to be one hell of a transfer window for Arsenal, for not only are better players needed, Arsenal need to change the “weak, leaderless dressing-room culture” and stop recruiting players who take selfies.
Apparently taking selfies means one can’t play football; (it is now a well known fact that needs no evidence). Or perhaps players who can play football don’t take selfies – at least that is how the Telegraph see it.
So who is Arsenal going to buy? And who will be the new manager. We have it all. Or at least the start.
INCOMING PLAYERS
In the last episode we reported 10 players being hotly tipped by the media to be coming to Arsenal. Now the number is down to six, although sadly for those who like continuity it is a different six from the original ten.
Given that we don’t know who will be the manager next season and we don’t know who will be leaving, and with 11 weeks to go before the transfer window creaks open (let alone smashes into bits at the start of September), we thus already have 16 players who apparently are destined to come to Arsenal. It is going to be one hell of a summer. With 140 days to go we only need to find another two thirds of a player a day to match last year’s record.
Here are the new names not mentioned last time around.
1: Andrea Belotti
Torino’s Belotti is Serie A’s joint-top goalscorer this season with 24 goals in 28 matches. He’s 23-year-old and signed a new contract four months ago, but with a buy-out clause of €100m. (The IB Times, Sky Sports, Metro, Mirror, Express).
2: Sead Kolasinac
Arsenal are in talks over a summer move for Schalke midfielder Sead Kolasinac, and indeed have spoken to the 23-year-old’s representatives for a second time after holding initial talks earlier this year. His contract is up at the end of this season.
Chelsea had a £5.3 million offer for the Bosnia-Herzegovina international rejected in the January transfer window but are “understood” by those who use such words lightly, to have retained their interest. (Metro, Daily Mail, TalkSport, Express).
3: Lorenzo Insigne
A contract dispute at Napoli has put Liverpool and Arsenal “on alert.” The 25-year-old forward is currently under contract in Naples until June 2019 but his club are eager to tie him down to longer terms. He is eager to toddle off elsewhere. (Metro, TalkSport, The Sun, The Star).
4: Alexandre Lacazette
Manchester City are ready (ie “set to launch”) a bid for Alexandre Lacazette after Arsene Wenger gave Arsenal the go ahead to sign the attacker, “according to reports”. Lacazette has scored 30 goals this season and is valued at around £40 million by his club. (The Daily Mirror, Metro, PainintheArsenal, Bleacher, Daily Express)
5: Iker Casillas
It is to be all change with Arsenal’s goalkeeping team this summer with FC Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas coming in, while Ospina is going and Wojtek Szczęsny is “set to” be ignored. Other reports have Petr Cech being shown the door, more on the outgoings below. (The Daily Express, The Daily Mirror, TalkSport, The Daily Mail).
6. Kasper Schmeichel.
As an alternative to Casillas Arsenal are looking at Leicester’s goalkeeper, but are fighting Man U who also want him. (The Daily Express, The Sun, The Metro).
7: Ben Gibson
Arsenal are planning to buy Middlesbrough centre-back Ben Gibson with a £30m deal. Tottenham also want him. (Evening Standard, Metro, Bleacher, Daily Mirror).
OUT GOING PLAYERS
1: Lucas Perez to PSG (or is that West Ham?)
Football Insider tells us of “EURO GIANTS RE-IGNITE PURSUIT OF ARSENAL ACE NEGLECTED BY WENGER – REPORT” (It’s important to put these things in capitals apparently).
Paris Saint-Germain are “believed to be” considering a summer move for “Arsenal outcast” Lucas Perez this summer, “according to a report”. Goal also claim that the French giants are “set to” renew their interest having been “foiled” by Arsenal last summer. (Also in the Mirror, PainintheArsenal, Sun, Express)
2: Oooooospina to Fenerbache.
REPLACING THE MANAGER
The current news is Mr Wenger had not signed new contract. (101, Metro, Express, Star) So the hunt for a new man continues
1: Ernesto Valverde
Arsenal have made an enquiry about the possible availability of Athletic Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde as a replacement for Arsene Wenger. He is also a candidate to take over at Barcelona who are getting anxious following another Champs League disaster, this time against Juve.
Marca claims the manager’s contract expires at the end of this season. (All Arsenal, Marca, GoonerTalk, Star, Independent, Metro).
2: Diego Simeone
The Atletico Madrid manager has gained one La Liga title, and two Champions League finals. He has a 62.5% win ratio at the Spanish club (although this is the Spanish league where the team placed sixth is looking a possible relegation candidate). (Real Sport, Metro, Star, Sky Sports, Express).
3: Thomas Tuchel
Joined Borussia Dortmund in 2015, and they gained second place in the Bundesliga in his first season (as Arsenal did last season in fact, although not in the Bundesliga of course. But it is funny how 2nd in another league now outweighs second in the Premier League). He has a win ratio of just over 61% from 88 games so far, and they are fourth in the league but that is not a trophy.
He is seen as an attacking manager, rather than Simeone who is seen as defensively inclined. (Metro, the Sun; although BBC and Goal carry reports denying the story, which is most confusing).
4: Massimiliano Allegri
Juventus manager since 2014, and has won the domestic double twice in the one team league and is a Champions League finalist. He has a win ratio of just over 70%; in a one team league. He also won the league with Milan when it was a two team league. (Read Arsenal, PainintheArsenal, TalkSport, Metro, Read Arsenal).
Goalkeeping coach
Chelsea’s goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon is “set to” follow Cech to Arsenal (Daily Express).
The competition (El Competitiono)
Here are the entries from last week’s initials competition. Thanks to all as always.
UNTOLD:
Unerringly Negates & Takes On Lowlives’ Duplicity
SPUDS
Stupid People Under Daniel’s Spell
Spurs Practice Underhand Diving Stunts
More are welcome. You can choose any football word and turn it into a set of initials (which I suppose is called initialisation). If stuck try FOOTBALL.
In today’s Anniversaries: 22 years ago – facing relegation. (The full list of today’s anniversaries is here).
- Arsenal: The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
- In the end just changing the manager is rarely enough, unless you want to do it a lot.
We seem to have a number of comments of late where people for some reason feel that it is not enough to hide behind an invented name, but also want to hide behind a non-existent email as well. We don’t publish such emails.
Tony
I usually enjoy and applaud your stance as the counterpoint to the mindless and I’ll-thought bile that gets spouted about Arsenal and Arsene. However you do yourself a disservice when you marginalise words like “weak” and “leaderless”. Anyone with a brain can see that the players aren’t performing anywhere near their potential and that the team is weaker than the sum of its parts at the moment. We should at least be far more competitive than we currently are. I agree that it is wrong to throw all of this at Wenger’s door. But something is wrong and it needs to get fixed
Dear SHA , could we have hard hitting questions to evaluate our fan base ?
Here is mine –
1. IS THE EPL FIXED ?
a) Yes . Congratulations !
b) No. Prove it !
PRAYERS ANSWERED ?
Seen of the wall of a temple –
‘Do not leave your wife alone in crowded areas . If she gets lost , you may mistakenly think that your prayers have been answered !’
England has no kidney bank , but it has a Liverpool .
OT
If Wenger thought things couldn’t get any worse, the Premier league have decided to give us Anthony Taylor for this weekend’s match against Middlesbrough.
For those with a short memory he is the one who Wenger had the confrontation with in the tunnel which led to his touchline ban a few weeks ago.
I am sure Taylor will not let that influence his performance though, it will be just as terrible as normal!!
It looks like Riley has gone for the knockout punch.
All this brouhaha stems from greedy Arsenal shareholders who were beguiled by Kroenke’s lucrative offer.
Arsenal, in consequence, are now lumbered with an owner, obsessed with investment, disinterested in football.
Ironically, the Club is doing well financially, which suits the owner and poorly on the field of play, which upsets the fans.
A return to multiple shareholders with a democratic Board with proper power is the only answer. 😉
nicky
‘A return to multiple shareholders with a democratic Board with proper power is the only answer.’
That would be a big leap forward but unfortunately I cannot see that happening in the foreseeable future.
nicky-
There is nothing ironic about the club’s financial performance – we are world class at bringing in cash. We then pretend it is classy not to spend and some fans swallow it willingly.
We are no longer a football club. Change from the top down please.
@MickHazel,
I join with you in understanding the solution but failing to know how to achieve it. 😉
@GoonerDave,
It IS ironic when you think about it.
At the very time we are struggling on the field of play, the Club’s shares are increasing in value, encouraging our absentee owner to retain the status quo. 😉
allegri to leave anielis and juventus for arsenal? puuahaha in which parallel universe ??? which dimension?
my god…gunners are going crazy… Buffon is bigger than Arsenal.
just to put things into measure… thank you.
big players win big games. big players cost big money. ball is in owners court as far as im afraid. not wenger’s. or any other manager
wenger has been saving this sorry club’s ass every year…like cat with 9 lives….cant do it forever on his own with coquelins and ramseys…sorry.
at some point the onwer of this club needs to spell it out or show it in actions. the owners cant always rely on wenger to bail them out on the cheap.
is arsenal f.c willing to play that game ? history shows they never were…
I still have a glimmer of “hope” (that damm word again) that Arsenal is still following their plan to elevate Arsenal.
If so, this will be the last season for players who are not pulling their weight.
The time has come to take the next step and become one of the big boys.
Personally i think AW although very respected, that many do not want to play under him and a change to a “top” manager would change all that.
So if Arsenal get the manager they want, AW will leave end of season, but failing that, he will continue til they do.
@para,
You may well be right. In recent games it has certainly looked as though Arsene has lost the dressing room and if so it’s very difficult to get it back. 😉
wait para..im turnign on the switch right now buddy..tomorrow we will be like the other ‘big boys’
forget the years/decades they have of history winning top competitons and having top top players in their ranks. we are equal to them because we have stadium now and because fans pay expensive tickets.
in what right do arsenal fans expect demand to become a juventus for example ?…i dont get it.
do we have their history? do we have their power?
can we all just lighten up and realise we are not even an ajax? id give my house away to refugees if arsenal had half of ajax history
historically speaking benfica is bigger than arsenal? im sure there are gunners out there going uwotm8 but its the truth. 30 domestic champion titles..2 champions leagues…eusebio world football icon. what do we have to compare to that? seriously….
i did not follow arsenal because they were big but because they were cult phenomenon with the drunks and cokeheads winning a cup one season and hitting the clinics the next…it was comedy….
it was later with wenger when i went ”wooww’ this is actual football club with aspiration to do things seriously and with consistency….
all these jokes about herbert and chapman…do you really think the big boys of world football actually give a fuck about that? does arsenal enjoy the reputation it has because of chpaman and graham ‘success’ or wenger you reckon?
‘ Hi there madridista…we are arsenal ..chapman!!!’
‘ who? i had puskas and distefano you clown who the fuck is chapman?’
‘ Yes but arsenal won european trophy with graham’
‘ yuo mean the 3rd rated competiton which was abolished and absorbed into uefa/europa as they saw no point in it? oh that one… ok cause i thought you meant the actual uefa cup which sorry to inform you was won by inter milan in 1994 with dennis bergkamp’
ouch……
Regarding players leaving..
It’s a worry that the mainstream media are now reporting on:
Ozil to Manure (£35 million
Sanchez to Citeh (30 million)
Ox to Scousers (£35 million)
Are those 3 replaceable for £100 million?
@Hunter 13,
Your 1.28 appears to forget that in Italy, Germany, France, Spain and Portugal(famous for its port and its ugal)there are usually two teams who dominate the top division of each country.
I don’t think ANY of those teams would relish a season in the EPL. 😉
@Norman14,
Based on consistency of performance over this season so far, I would suggest £100m would be more than enough to replace them. 😉
I just wish people would let Mr Wenger alone & carry on with his adventure. My wife thinks he is a very good businessman. He is only 67 & could carry on making everyone at Arsenal rich for many years yet. But I am a bit worried about whether he will be able to get in some really top quality players after he has sold all those that Norman has mentioned. By the way this is a very nice site & I will try to post on here more often as all the other Arsenal ones are rubbish.
@Hunter13
“they were cult phenomenon with the drunks and cokeheads”……
My only question to you is why do you bother with Arsenal at all?