By Sir Hardly Anyone
There have been three big events for Arsenal over the last three days: one good, one amusing, one bad.
1: Elneny
On the good side Elneny has turned out to be a more than decent centre back. Since the media has been screaming about how we leaked goals last season conceding roughly one more goal in every four league games than Chelsea, we need to reform the entire defence, and having an extra player of quality for that position is clearly helpful.
One commentator said that Elneny’s ability in the back three “was like a new signing” but he was immediately shot, because apparently one is not allowed to say that.
2: Joel Campbell
The utterly horrible news is of the knee injury to Joel Campbell while on international “duty”; he is said to be out for four to six months. The news comes just after Joel got married to his long time girlfriend.
Bizarrely some bloggettas got into a twizzle by noting that Campbell had not been given a squad number and suggesting he was about to go to Galatasaray who were said to be are “interested in a potential £2.6m switch.”
And so on to the amusing…
3: Mbappe or Lemar? It’s hard to tell.
The amusing is that just days after Mr Wenger said that Arsenal had never made a bid for Mbappe at all,
And you might also be interested in the split infinitive that followed within the article, after all, us aristos have a duty to keep grammatical whatnot up to speed…
“Wenger’s reluctance to quickly sell Sanchez or indeed Olivier Giroud is down to uncertainty about whether he can get the 21-year-old Lemar, who could play in Sanchez’s usual position off the left, even after the club record signing of Alexandre Lacazette.”
But… oh, what is this????
4: Lemar deal agreed!!!!! (The Star, The Sun, The Express and the Metro)
And that is not all, because there is a second deal done, although this one is truly weird.
5: Wellington comes back to boot us.
French newspapers are quoting a report by Sport Witness, that says that Wellington Silva who was sold to Fluminese with a clause in his contract that meant Arsenal had a first right of refusal if the player left the club, are buying him back, and will then immediately sell him on to Bordeaux. Arsenal are going to pay £3.1m and will then sell him for £4.4m, an instant profit of … well that is where it got a bit sticky for the media, but they are sure there is a profit in there somewhere.
6: Marcelo Brozović and the squad revamped and the alleged watch.
Elsewhere is the news that Inter Milan star Marcelo Brozović is ‘next on Arsene Wenger’s wish list’ according to ESPN. But don’t get too overwhelmed as the club is doing its slow-slow-slow thing and “weighing up a move for the Croatian midfielder” in order “revamp” the squad. A squad, which as we finally agreed yesterday, was still over the 25.
Here is one I liked: “Arsenal scouts allegedly watched him in international action on numerous occasions during last season.” The new verb: to allegedly watch. Another split infinitive? Inter are said to be prepared to listen to offers for the 24-year-old.
Wenger is apparently a long-term admirer of Brozović and had “scouts watch the Croatian international in action on several occasions last season.” But on 7 December last year, Brozović extended his contract with Inter Milan until 2021, with the new deal including a significant wage rise. So it all seems a trifle odd.
He’s 24 and played 23 times for the club in the league last season.
7: Alvaro Morata
And next Arsenal is turning its attention to Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata as it seems more and more likely that Alexis Sanchez’s future at the Emirates Stadium is coming to a close. He’s played 26 and scored 15. But he’s a striker. And WE NEED STRIKERS. Oh and we need to SORT OUT THE DEFENCE.
I know that cos I read it in the papers.
Here’s the other biggie…
8: Mousa Dembele
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is reportedly preparing to make a double splash with Mousa Dembele on his radar if Alexis Sanchez leaves this summer.
“Dembele would undoubtedly be an exciting replacement after the 20-year-old scored 32 goals in 48 appearances for Celtic last season, with Arsenal linked with a move as the former Fulham striker who is valued at £30m”. That story comes from the Daily Excess.
Jeremy Wilson’s grammar notwithstanding, the accuracy of his articles regarding Arsenal can usually be relied on (he does after all have a direct line to Gazidis), so I’ll take his word above all other hacks on our transfer targets.
It’s difficult keeping up with the Dembele’s. I thought the Mousa at Spurs was the one who used to play for Fulham. Now we learn of another?
No one mentions Alexis?
He says: I want to play CL
Its up to Arsenal what happens.
For me:
He says: I want to leave and go to a team that plays CL
and its up to Arsenal now if they let me go.
AW should stay hard and not let him.
If that’s the case Para Alexis has to stay and get us into CL he is just as munch to blame for not getting in there In the first place.
As I see it .. Sanchez was saying .. “I shall leave if Arsenal can’t offer Champions League football at the end of his contract “. In other words , we better qualify for Champions’ League soccer next season and it’s up to Arsenal to offer that .
If Alexis wants to leave then Arsenal should sell his service to the highest bidder, Arsenal is a big club and it shouldn’t keep players who don’t want to be there. Get the money and move on.
I would love Alexis to stay but if he goes then so be it. AW identified Alexis and bought him to Arsenal so I’m sure AW can find an equivalent or better replacement. Also, this could be an opportunity for either Iwobi or Welbeck to step up and make the position permanently theirs.
@Polo, Welbeck? You are kidding me.
Polo if Wenger let Sanchez leave and uses wellbeck or iwobi without buying a world class to replace him Wenger won’t last till Christmas.Thefans will crucify him.
Nicky, a bold prediction. We probably won’t get a chance to test it, as it has too many conditions – but in the unlikely event it happens I am sure your prediction will not come to pass – either literally or metaphorically.
Sir Hardly, you missed Virgil van Djik, the £45m man “we need” at the back in spite of Elneny’s performances and what to do with Chambers.
The Dembele you want to mention is Moussa, not Mousa