By Sir Hardly Anyone.
The Director of Football story is back on the agenda after at least a week without it coming up. And so are the stories about the new manager.
This time it is Borussia Dortmund man Michael Zorc who has been approached about taking a job in London – and the usual commentators are adding two and two and making 33. Marc Overmars, director of football at Ajax, is also being considered by Ivan Gazidis or so the story goes.
Now it is interesting that the newspaper highlighting the story (the Daily Telegraph) also includes this little snippet. “The club’s player recruitment has not been particularly successful over recent years…” – a typical throwaway line, without any evidence. I would have thought that buying Alexis for the price we paid was a rather clever move, as was the purchase of Bellerin from Barcelona, to name but two.
What is interesting is that they also say is that this is happening while “Wenger’s future is unresolved” and without mentioning the work of StatDNA which Arsenal own. Yet many other sources say that Mr Wenger’s future is resolved, but the club and the manager decided not to make an announcement until the end of the season. The Telegraph give no evidence for their statement, nor for their view that Dick Law “is expected to leave Arsenal in the next 12 months,” although of course it could be just to go on holiday.
But the overall assertion is that Arsenal “would look to sign a striker, a central defender, a wide player, a left-back and a goalkeeper.” And they also suggest that “Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel is also thought to be among the names Arsenal will consider if Wenger does leave the Emirates, but no talks have taken place over that role.” I think using “thought to be” is about right. And someone thinking something doesn’t make it real. Especially when it is a professional journalist.
However the Zorc story is building and we are told he “has built a reputation as being one of the best sporting directors in Europe, having helped Dortmund win three Bundesliga titles and reach the final of the Champions League.” Also, that “Zorc signed a contract with Dortmund that runs to 2019 three years ago, but there have been a series of disagreements behind the scenes this season that has placed doubts over the future of several members of club staff.”
Meanwhile of course the rumours are manufactured. A few days back we published part 5 of this summer’s Transfer Index and found 33 players thus far tipped to come to Arsenal. Last year the total reached 110 by the time the window smashed closed amid a lot of silly ramblings by the media and broken glass on the floor. Three players actually did make it to Arsenal – but they were not mentioned until a few days before each deal.
So the race is on to see if the percentage drops any lower this year.
Here are those doing the rounds today
1: James Rodriguez (The Star, Metro, Canon, Mirror, Express, Pain in the Arsenal, Telegraph, TalkSprout, Bleacher).
Arsenal have reportedly “earmarked” Real Madrid’s Rodriguez as a replacement for Alexis Sanchez at the end of this ‘campaign’.
2: Jordon Pickford (Express, Metro, Star, Mirror)
Everton are leading the “race” to sign the goalkeeper from Sunderland, who as you may know have been relegated, but Arsenal are also interested. As are Man United and Liverpool.
3: Sead Kolasinac (Metro, Sun, Bleacher, Goal, Football London, ESPN, Star, Mail, Tribal, Mirror)
He is going to make up his mind which club he wants and he is doing it this week, “according to reports”. It could be Arsenal or it could be Man City. Or was it AC Milan? He’s a left back and he thinks he would get on rather well in English football. At least “according to reports” he does.
The only problem is that two weeks ago the deal was 95 percent done. Whatever happened to the last five percent?
4: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang again to replace Alexis (Mirror, Star, Hard Tackle, Metro, Telegraph, Star, Sun)
The price is now being quoted at £80m. It is going up all the time but that probably has more to do with the collapse of the British currency than any sort of rise in the real price.
5: Wojciech Szczesny (Independent, TalkSprout, GreatGoals, Metro, ESPN, Mail).
The man who was personally responsible for Untold being called racist (for endlessly misspelling his name) is “reportedly” ready to return to Arsenal and “fight to be the club’s number one”. All the reports say that he has been in great form playing for Roma, and at 27 years old is a mere stripling in goalkeeper terms. He doesn’t smoke in the showers any more either.
6: Kylian Mbappe (Metro, Standard, Star, Mail, Sun, Bleacher, Mirror; but the Independent says he turned the chance down – how could they get it so wrong???).
He’s the AS Monaco wonderkid; he’s 18 and has “burst on the scene” getting 24 goals including home and away against Manchester C and Borussia D. The Mail even says that Arsenal are willing to pay £85m. Apparently so are Real Mad although they tend to like their young men a bit younger according to the courts.
7: Carlos Bacca (Fantagazzetta. Calciomercato, Mirror, Sun, Cannon, Star, Metro, Squwaka, TalkSprout, Sports Mole, Football Italia, Express)
Now we are told his agent has been with AC Milan’s boss men to discuss potential options for his client to leave the club in the summer. The club, we are told, are short on the reddies. €25m has been mooted. (What an odd word that is!) Bacca is ‘all set’ to leave the club at the end of the season, Calciomercato says in an “exclusive”(?).
And yes we know he “was set to move to West Ham last season, only to call everything off at the last minute” but that was just because he didn’t fancy working for K. Brady. But now for €25 to 30 million, some Chinese and Spanish clubs also fancy him.
8: Jordan Pickford (Standard, Metro, Sun (twice) Express, Bleacher, Goal, Star, Telegraph, Mirror (twice)
He’s the Sunderland keeper an a Mr Moyes has warned him against moving to a club in which he wouldn’t be number one. Mind you the Sunderland directors have warned Mr M about taking out a long lease on a house in the area, which might not be needed.
Everton want him, and are willing to “break the bank” for him. That would however be a crime under English law, and could see the directors imprisoned just as they were starting to build their new stadium with no money put into it by Liverpool Council. He’s 23, and will cost £15m
And the latest news of the many, many players who will be tipped to be leaving (remembering that last season the entire squad was said to be off…)
Mesut Ozil.
Turkish-Football claims that Barcelona are “eyeing up” a “shock move”. Wow!
And as for the wildest transfer story ever….
Stan Collymore has “urged Arsene Wenger to make a bold bid to try and sign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid”. Mind you other reports claim Manchester United have already agreed terms.
Told you it was wild.
The current league table as it appears in the eyes of football journalists
Interestingly, The Times is reporting that Thomas Tuchel has fallen out with the Dortmund board, and could be leaving at the end of the season.
A double swoop perhaps?
Bild are saying that Bayern are weighing up a £65 million pound move for Alexis.
For a player who is clearly not happy and only a year left on his current deal, that might be too big a chance to turn down. That, on top of a declared “war chest” would certainly help in a re-building project.
@Norman 14
Sad if Arsenal do decide to sell Alexis but do you remember that Patrick V was very upset once paper talk
Iam not a journalist neither am I an amateur one but a thinker of something positive for Arsenal to win the PL title again and break the ice in the UCL title win in next season’s campaign
If Le Prof will admit the truth and accept the fact that his teams in the last 13 consecutive seasons have failed to win the PL title again and the UCL because they have underperformed in these 2 competitions. To win the Premier League in this contemporary time we are now, a team needs to over perform to succeed in winning it if am allowed to borrow the word of Athonie conte, the Chelsea manager and use it.
If Le Prof agreed to step down at the end of this season’s campaign as being demanded by a group of a noticeable protesting and disgruntled Arsenal supporters who have in the last 4 seasons or so have been vehemently demanding Le Prof should step down as the Gunnes boss, who then in the short term is thought can succeed as the Gunnes boss to win the PL title again and the UCL in his first or two years of becoming the Arsenal manager? Massimilliano Allegri of Jeventus in the short term or Eddie Howe of Bournemouth in the short and long term?
If Allegri wins the UCl for Juve this season against Zidane of Real Madrid, will Real Madrid sack Zidane and employe Allegri? They may not if Zidane wins the Spanish La Liga title this season. So, Allegri can come to Arsenal if Jeventus did not block his coming. But in the event of failing to come to Arsenal, I think Eddie Howe who has built a Bournemouth a srtong and successful team with 10% of the current Arsenal first team squad cost could successfully handle Arsenal as manager if the Arsenal board gives him the job. He’s 39 years old and he could succeed very well at Arsenal by winning the PL title and the UCL title for Arsenal in his first to three years as Arsenal manager with the big cash deposit in Arsenal bank account to spend some of it to buy some top and world class players for Arsenal, Arsenal will rule the Premier League and even the UCL within a short time of his managerial career at Arsenal. And he could stay for 10 years or more at Arsenal without being priced away by any top club.
If I may add, Eddie Howe has shown he has the foresight like Le Prof has to fish out a potential young player then sign him at £1m and turn him to a top quality player later. Just like he did when signed a player from Blackburn (can’t remember his name now) and turned him to a top goalscorer for Bournemouth.
It think Alexis needs a game rest. He’s overplayed and can’t score again as he was scoring before. I think Le Prof against any Sanchez’s wish should rest him for Southampton on Wednesday night. But use him for the more difficult away Stoke game at the Britannia. But who will Le Prof plays in place of Sanchez? The on the fringe player Perez or the not very serious Iwobi? I don’t know. Let Le Prof figure that out himself. But I think the lackluster in recent Arsenal games Giroud should start at St Mary’s tomorrow while the fragile to picking up injury Welbeck should start from the bench and Mustafi should start at the right centre half back in the new Arsenal 3 man back-line defence in place of the young Holding who should start from the bench for a possible start or appearance at Stoke.
If If If – not taking you anywhere but dreams.
What’s not if and but is Wenger confirming Perez maybe sold this summer. This stubborn manager has given match after match to players who never played to their potential for years. Literally dead weight in terms of resources and he could not give Perez a extended run in the team. Every time he has come on he has made a impact and now Wenger wants to sell him because he can’t give him game time. That’s just ridiculous. And this stubborn manager is supposed to get us new players in the summer.
allegri to arsenal? lol…….. yeah lets get toni kroos too and buffon…arsenal is bigger than juventus anyway…historically speaking… we had tony adams what do they have to show ?
Playing safe –
To avoid condom related accident, use 2 condoms with chilli powder in between them.
If outer one breaks, she will know; and if inner one breaks, you will know!
The evaluation.
A little boy went to his old grandpa and asked, “What’s the value of life?”
The grandpa gave him one stone and said, “Find out the value of this stone, but don’t sell it.”
The boy took the stone to an Orange Seller and asked him what its cost would be.
The Orange Seller saw the shiny stone and said, “You can take 12 oranges and give me the stone.”
The boy apologized and said that the grandpa has asked him not to sell it.
He went ahead and found a vegetable seller.
“What could be the value of this stone?” he asked the vegetable seller.
The seller saw the shiny stone and said, “Take one sack of potatoes and give me the stone.”
The boy again apologized and said he can’t sell it.
Further ahead, he went into a jewellery shop and asked the value of the stone.
The jeweler saw the stone under a lens and said, “I’ll give you 1 million for this stone.”
When the boy shook his head, the jeweler said, “Alright, alright, take 2 24karat gold necklaces, but give me the stone.”
The boy explained that he can’t sell the stone.
Further ahead, the boy saw a precious stone’s shop and asked the seller the value of this stone.
When the precious stone’s seller saw the big ruby, he lay down a red cloth and put the ruby on it.
Then he walked in circles around the ruby and bent down and touched his head in front of the ruby. “From where did you bring this priceless ruby from?” he asked.
“Even if I sell the whole world, and my life, I won’t be able to purchase this priceless stone.”
Stunned and confused, the boy returned to the grandpa and told him what had happened.
“Now tell me what is the value of life, grandpa?”
Grandpa said, “The answers you got from the Orange Seller, the Vegetable Seller, the Jeweler & the Precious Stone’s Seller explain the value of our life…
You may be a precious stone, even priceless, but, people will value you based on their intellectual status, their level of information, their belief in you, their motive behind entertaining you, their ambition, their risk taking ability & ultimately their calibre.
If Arsenal want to show they are a top club,they must
appoint a dof ovr Wenger’s objections. If not,he has to be axed.The fm is a dictator and has been surrounded by yes men for too long.You cant blame the ym for if they disagreed with the fm,they will be jobless.Defence has been a perennial issue and has never been satisfactorily solved.
Like all dictators,it will come to a natural conclusion.
If not Arsenal will continue to drift in mid stream .
Just imagine 10 wasted years .During that time Chelsea have won 2 epl with a third 99.99% sure.
Manager is not a puppeteer. DoF if appointed should be under the manager. Answerable to him. Not the otherway around.
Wolfgang…drifting in mid-stream is what stoke and maybe everton do. Arsenal has enjoyed the longest time ever in their history in the top positions of domestic and continental football. top4 in uk and top16 europe. If you think this level is a bad thing for Arsenal F.C than i doubt your historical knowledge of the Club.
10 wasted years? lol. Arsenal chiose to built a stadium. A project which we all knew would take minimum 10-15 years to let us stand up on our feet again. Wenger made that happen in 7!. We moved in in 2006-2007…and by 2013/14 we could spend a little more after renegotiating sponsors and paying back a considerable chunk of stadium debt.
In other words Wolfgang..the period 2006 – 2020 was always scheduled to be a shit one. Combined with Arabs and Russians and the choice of Arsenal to be self sustainable. In the grand scheme of things…getting top4 and top16 in a period which is scheduled to be your shit one and your hardest ever transition …not only will i take that but i will celebrate it as well.
You on the other aint got a clue how macroplanning or breaking even on investments work. You think football is a faceless arena were tycoons can exercise their hobbies and you are mad Arsenal does not follow that trend really.
Chelsea has ‘invested’ close to 2 billion since 2003 to be where they are….. You are comparing a club that spent specifically to get into high class with a club that invested specifically for its future and knowingly sacrificed a decade if more in the title statistic in order to have another century to correct it.
wolfgang…actually…if we want to be correct arsenal wasted close to 115 years doing …imo .fuck all to be a top club.
before wenger i count like 10 titles scattered in 110 years of history
no nottingham forrest european triumph…no liverpool dominance…no manchester unite glam and glory..even aston fucking villa has a european cup
arsenal? lol…some jokers who had to be collected from pubs and clinics and who essentially brutalised teams for the 1-0 but due to the cult status of 90’s they are revisioned as the ‘best back 5 in world football ever’ which is off course a joke…
arsenal was never a big club…big clubs are juventus bayern ac milan ajax liverpool real barcelona…arsenal has nothing to tell those guys…only with wenger can we look at them eye to eye and only due to modern wenger status not historical.
The idea of StatsDNA is great, but until it actually starts resulting in great transfers, I’m a skeptic. We’ve got guys like Gabriel and Elneny that this investment is telling us to add, neither of whom is anything more than an adequate bench player. I do like the idea of trying new things with our scouting, but I’m not convinced of StatsDNA yet.