By Sir Hardly Anyone.
58 days to go til the window creaks open and the glass falls out, and already we are on course to beat last summer’s amazing total number of 110 players who are coming to Arsenal.
Of course you might think that last summer’s abject failure by the assembled bunch of geezers in the public bar to predict the actual players who were coming to Arsenal, might have made them think twice about humiliating themselves all over again, but these fellows don’t know how to spell embarrassment when it comes to getting things wrong.
So here we are again, another ten men on their way to Arsenal that are being tipped, tipped and tipped again to be heading to the red and white (except when we play in a change strop).
And just so you don’t feel short changed we’ve got two more who are leaving…
1: Naby Keïta, (Guardian, Metro, Mirror, Sun, ESPN, Bleacher, Sky, TalkSprout, Excess, Star)
Arsenal have a “long-standing interest in Guinea midfielder Naby Keïta” is the word in the bar which is why every paper is running it. He has supposedly refused to sign a new contract at German side RB Leipzig. He’s 22 and is wanted by Liverpool and Bayern Munich. £25m is the fee.
2: Michaël Seri (Guardian, Metro, Excess, Tribuna, FotbolTransfers, CartilagefreeCaptain, WhoScored)
Arsenal and Tottenham are after him. He comes from the Ivory Coast (and likes jam on his toast…) (sorry got carried away with the old Vieira song for a moment… He comes from Senegal…). Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona also want the “midfield man”.
3: Kylian Mbappe (Mirror, Metro, joe, Bleacher, Standard, painintherarsenal, ESPN, Skysports, Sun)
‘Priceless’ Arsenal target Kylian Mbappe is going nowhere, says Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev. Man U also want him.
4: Koke (Soccer rumours, Excess, Sun, Mirror, Bleacher, India.com, IB Times, ArsenalBanter, Star)
The Atletico Madrid player could replace Santi Cazorla. Arsenal showed a familiar tale “of unpreparedness” for Santi’s injury, as if we could have a top player on endless standby just in case. Doh!
5: Amine Harit. (Metro, Tribal Football, Gunners Today, Star, Excess, ArsenalYouth, Squawka
Arsenal are “showing interest in young Nantes midfielder Amine Harit”. Arsenal have given him a trial. The 19-year-old has come through the youth ranks at Nantes and is now starring in the senior side. Arsenal have not offered him a trial. And GetFootballNewsFrance says “Amine Harit pens Nantes deal despite Arsenal & Barcelona interest …”
You don’t suppose some of these august journalists might have got something wrong do you?
6: José Luis Gayà (Tribal Football, Bleacher Report, Talksprout, The Star, Mirror, ESPN, Telegraph, Independent).
Manchester City and Arsenal both want him “according to reports”. He’s a young left back.
7: Dawid Kownacki. (Star, sportowefakty, The Sun, sport.interia, Metro, Givemestrength, Mail)
Arsenal and Chelsea are “reportedly” interested which is good enough for me as this man is the new Robert Lewandowski’. He plays for Lech Poznan, at least according to the Mail he does. He scores lots of goals too.
8: Joel Campbell (Metro, 90min, Excess, squwaka, Star, AllArsenal, Reddit, JustArsenal, IB Times).
He’s got one more year on his contract, and Arsenal are apparently looking for the “final solution”. Although Bleacher has a story saying Arsenal may regret letting Joel Campbell go!
9: Corentin Tolisso (Metro, painintheArsenal, Excess, Sky Sports, Bleacher Report, HiTC, Star, TalkSprout).
He’s 22, he plays for Lyon and he is going to replace Ozil. Tolisso is French, Wenger is French, so it is obviously a perfect fit.
10: Emil Forsberg (Metro, Mirror, the Sun, Hardtackle, Star, SportsMole, Tribal Football, Aftonbladet)
At 25 years old, he’s Swedish, he’s a midfielder, he will replace Ozil. He started 24 games this season for RB Leipzig, scoring eight goals and 15 assists.
Meanwhile leaving Arsenal we are told that
1: Barcelona wants Hector Bellerin at any cost (Star, Bleacher, Metro, Mirror, 101GreatGoals, Excess, Guardian.
2: Nathan Tella goes to Southampton. (Echo, Excess, Southampton FC, Tribal, Star, IB Times, ESPN)
Some are saying he has signed for them already, which seems hardly fair. I mean if players start signing before we have a chance to run the rumours, well, whatever next?
[More rumours? Tony]
- It’s not all doom and gloom in the Arsenal Universe, you just have to look beyond the First Team
- All hail Arsenal’s next manager.
- Local football teaches us all that the sun will come up again
- What changes do we really need at Arsenal?
I believe that the Nathan Tella transfer is indeed a ‘done deal’. He has already played in an U23 game for Southampton. One of our Academy players who has not made sufficient progress to move to the next level at Arsenal. I wish him luck for the future.
Apparently Pablo Fornals is another flavour of the month,…the new Cazorla …or something
Mr. Wenger must spend big. Bring back David Dein . Get Mbappe at any cost . He is French like Wenger . Bring Tolisso , Koulibally a new world class left back and one or two youngsters of Wengers lchoice.
What rumor says Tolisso is replacing Ozil???
Tolisso is a CM who can play RB, he is more of a B2B type of player…
But what have all these players transfer rumours and the lack of them led Arsenal to in the last 12 seasons or so? 2 back to back FA Cup wins in the last 3 seasons and one appearance now in the final yet to be played this season, a 12 consecutive appearances in the Ucl are all that Arsenal have to show for the huge money they’ve spent on new players recruitment and paying their huge wages. And the recruitment of technical and medical staff huge wages are also paid for by Arsenal. Stewards recruitment and paying their wages and other supporting staff recruitment and paying their wages are also on the Arsenal wage bill. The hiring of their manager, senior and junior administrative staff and paying them huge wages are paid for by Arsenal. Service and utility supply are also paid for by Arsenal.
To me as an Arsenal supporter, 2 FA Cup success and 12 consecutive appearances in Ucl in 12 years is good and befitting a club like Tottenham Hotspur or even Leicester to achieve in 12 seasons who must be spending less than a quarter in a season of what Arsenal spent in a year. But for an iconic super club side like Arsenal, it can only be mediocrely good success and this is not acceptable. For, it’s doesn’t befit their status as a super club side.
Therefore, the Arsenal management hierarchy should set the ball rolling as from next season by showing ambitiom and intent that they want to see Arsenal re-start winning titles on regular basis again like they were previously winning before these past 12 years. And put a maximum condition of 3 years in place for any Arsenal manager to deliver the PL and CL titles to Arsenal and if he fails to win the PL title in his first 2 years, sorry, let him follow the exit door. This is the title winning mentality policy put in place at Man U, Man C, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus that has been making them to be changing their managers often if they don’t win titles. But if he wins, he stays on if he wants to. The position of manager at this club is solely based on delivering the title within a minimum of 2 years in some of these clubs and 3 years maximum could be allowed at some of them. But why should Arsenal be an exemption in this wise?
I’m going to start practicing using my accents on all kinds of letters from next season on in my match reports….
é à ï ë …. ok bring them on 🙂