By Tony Attwood
Some businesses I’ve come across are indeed in the aforementioned state of turmoil, while others just seem to stumble around a lot and some sail on serenely never troubled by the choppy waters on which they sail.
So I wondered, in football is it just Arsenal that is in a state of constant disarray and crisis, with all the players we are tipped to buy slipping through our fingers not because the transfers never existed in the first place, but because of Arsenal’s incompetence.
That was, in generalised terms, the essence of a comment on this site this morning, and it made me wonder.
The first thing I did was to take a look at the transfer rumours surrounding Tottenham, and there seemed, at a glance to be as many for them as there are for Arsenal. Whether we will have time enough to analyse that list and see if they suffer from a 3% success rate in finalising the transfers so boldly announced by the media, I don’t know, but it might be interesting to see, even though we are already part way through the transfer window and Arsenal’s number of alleged signings is already 75.
But while pondering if there is time to run a second list of potential purchases as listed on bloggettas and in newspapers, I came across this headline from Football London about Arsenal
‘Done and dusted – great business!’ Fans go wild as Arsenal wrap up surprise transfer deal
That is followed by the story that “reports in Italy now claim that…. Lichtsteiner set to sign a one-year deal which includes the option of a further year.”
Since it has been talked about for months, it is hardly a surprise, and since he is 34 that might not be a cause of fans going wild, but then of course I don’t know most fans. Maybe some are going wild. Maybe some were already wild and got a bit wilder. Maybe the player will come in and allow the younger members of the back four to grow and mature while not being forced to play week after week so that they are ready for full time first team football in a year.
But looking at Tottenham’s rumours, which at first glance look to be similar in volume to ours, I glanced further afield to try and find a way of gauging the mood of football as a whole.
Of course I can’t go out and ask supporters from different clubs what their mood is, as I don’t have enough resources to make it a viable study, but a snapshot vision of the headlines on one day suggests that the portrayal (not the reality necessarily but the portrayal) of football is one of a place of chaos.
Naturally you can distract yourself by focusing on the NetBet world cup 2018 but meanwhile here are a few headlines from the Guardian this morning…
They are to be found under the broad headline
- All today’s stories
And this is not a list of some of the stories, but all of the stories running on their lead football web page this morning. This is, in short football as it is this saturday morning as seen by one newspaper’s headlines in England…
- England Sterling sorry after arriving 12 hours late for England training
- Sterling knows he has messed up over late show
- Turmoil at Chelsea: Owner annoyed, players unsettled, manager in limbo
- Chelsea: Club will not pay Napoli £7m Sarri release clause
- Conifa’s World Cup offers lesson in geopolitics and alternative to Fifa
- Nations locked out of Fifa and the international community have been brought together for a tournament in London
- How tragedy led to Hendon’s offer of free tickets to isolated fans
- Everton Supporter jailed for attacking Lyon player while holding toddler
- Super Eagles feeling heat as Rohr yet to finalise World Cup squad
- Tottenham Pochettino ‘happy’ at club but keeps Real Madrid door open
- Marco Silva’s in-tray. The first tasks for Everton’s manager
- Football League: Tisdale leaves Exeter City after 12 years in charge
- Australia 4-0 Czech Republic: Australia warm up for World Cup with record-breaking rout
- Leeds United Club sack manager Heckingbottom after 16 games
- World Cup: Chinese firms pile in to sponsor 2018 tournament amid Fifa fallout
- Derby County: Lampard ready to be brutal after checking in as manager
- Chelsea: Abramovich shelves £1bn stadium project after visa delays
Good article. I think it’s far too early for everybody to be getting hysterical about who we are or aren’t signing as the transfer window has only just opened and we’ve only just got our new manager in place. I’ve been seeing comments online being negative already about who we’re being linked with and it seems to me that certain sections of the fans aren’t happy unless they’re moaning.
As you know, I’ve been what you call a WOB for quite a while now but never AAA, no way, and when Wenger announced his retirement I cried like a family member had died. Wenger is our greatest ever manager who has run Arsenal for half of my life but he was going stale and was unable to adapt or delegate, he should have gone a few years ago but now we all have to get behind the new man even if I am a bit underwhelmed by his appointment, and I’m not a fan of the director of football model we’re now adopting either, and would of preferred Allegri or Ancelotti tbh but we are where we are now.
The moaners really get on my nerves because they’ve been complaining that we need a better defence, that our defence is too old and that our youngsters aren’t experienced enough, but are now complaining that we might be signing a couple of older defenders who will only be around for 1 or 2 years and that we should buy younger – well which is it? With Mertesaker retired and questions about Mustafi, supposedly, and Koschellny injured it makes total sense to bring in some solid older heads to help bring on our youngsters.
The same moaners are now moaning about our transfer budget which was apparently £200m although I didn’t see this on the Arsenal dotcom, and is now only £50m allegedly. Thing is what they’re not taking into account is that we’ve already spent upwards of £110m on Lacazette and Aubameyang this season and we didn’t qualify for the top 4 trophy tournament so obviously the budget will change. Also from what I’ve read that £200m was promised to Allegri when he was in talks to replace Wenger last season but Wenger refused to step down. So Gazidas hired Mislintat and the other guy to take some of Wenger’s power away and they identified this season’s buys and the money spent was out of the budget promised to Allegri. Now that we’ve adopted the director of football/ Head coach model Allegri wouldn’t agree to join under that model so we hired Emery who can, has and has won titles under it so it makes sense to hire him.
Right now the fan base needs to be united and we can only wait and see how the season pans out and give our beloved Arsenal 100% support once more. At the end of the day regardless of our historical differences yours is a great site with excellent articles and now that Wenger has gone I might stop by and comment more often, not that you’re bothered I’m sure! ?
I’m really looking forward to the next chapter in our great club’s history that we can all write together, and who knows, maybe even Untold and Le-grove could bury the hatchet and help coordinate a better atmosphere and match day experience amongst the crowd? Unified chants and singing etc? Just a thought.
One last thing; I have to congratulate you on your banner of Arsene saying football is an art, it annoyed me at first but it has since become rather iconic and to think you will now have that permanent association with Arsenal because of it must be pretty special for yourselves and is something to be proud of. It was shown loads during Wenger’s retirement coverage and I couldn’t help but admire it.
Anyway, that’s enough from me. Keep up the good work.
Ben.
@ Ben
” from what I’ve read that £200m was promised to Allegri when he was in talks to replace Wenger last season but Wenger refused to step down”
I refer to the above suggestion from your comment and I am a bit unsure that this statement is close to being true, because Mr Wenger’s contract expired at that very time you claimed a statement suggested Mr Allegri, a potential replacement of Mr wenger, was available.
If a contract expired, so what was the need of stepping down!
My opinion is that Mr Gazidis or Mr Kroenke was zero-ready, a year contract was presented to Le Prof, who declined, except it was two years, so he got two. Afterward, the chance of Minslinters and co came, and the two years contract of Mr Wenger was stabbed in the back.
@ bennydevito
Your statement ” Also from what I’ve read that £200m was promised to Allegri when he was in talks to replace Wenger last season but Wenger refused to step down.”
is a bit doubtfull to me because, that was the time his contract expired, am when the replacement was not available Le Prof was offered a new contract on his own terms of two years or none. though Gazidis turned 360 degree after a year.
When everybody else are seem to be losing their minds , a smart and collected person sees an opportunity in every potential calamity .
Case in point –
Man to doctor : “Doctor , I am frustrated with my life . I want to commit suicide .I can’t take it any more. Every night my wife goes out to a pub , and sleeps with anyone who proposes to her !”
Doctor,calmly:” Relax.Take a deep breath, calm down and now tell me…….WHICH PUB ?”
On the whole I don’t think the vast majority arsenal fans care about transfer gossip.
It’s something that will always exist around a big club like arsenal.
That suggests the entire media industry has got it wrong, which is interesting since they base what they publish on readership and click through levels.
Hi everyone,
My point about the alleged Allegri story is the £200m that was supposedly promised but unconfirmed by anybody official, then it was being reported the budget is only £50m and some fans were moaning but were unable to see that with the alleged Allegri snub, some of that £200m has now been spent on Lacazette and Aubameyang, and we again missed out on the Champions League money so what are they moaning about and what are the press talking about?
What was it Gazidas said? Those who know don’t speak and those who speak don’t know. Very adapt I feel and we should all reserve judgement until the season starts.