By Sir Hardly Anyone, and a friend.
Read all about it, I say, Step Right Up, All you need to know, and other meaningless cries from the streets.
Incoming
1: Yacine Brahimi
Arsenal are preparing to sign Yacine Brahimi but don’t like the cost, according to Correio da Manha, but the paper say that Arsenal are in front of the queue, despite not liking the bill of €40 million. He’s a 27 year old French attacking midfielder.
2: Mario Lemina
Arsenal are preparing a bid for Mario Lemina of Juventus, and it is exciting stuff because the Standard says that Mr Wenger identified him as his top central midfield target this summer. He’s like Paul Pogba we are seriously informed even though he doesn’t actually play that often as a starter for the first team. But it seems he has potential which is important.
3: Corentin Tolisso
He has said “I’m interested in Premier League move”. The cost is £30m and he is ready to leave Olympic Lyon. The Mirror says so. He’s a 22 year old central midfielder.
4: Pacos Ferreira
According to Sportswitness via every other web site I’ve never heard of and a few I haven’t Arsenal sent a team of scouts to watch Porto’s 4-1 win over Pacos Ferreira last Sunday with a view to considering both Danilo and Silva who played for 30 minutes.
5: Sokratis Papastathopoulos
Chelsea and Arsenal are interested in signing Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos this summer, according to the Sun, which also told us that the Conservatives would increase their majority in the general election. Arsenal however are worried since the players name won’t fit on the electronic score boards without expensive modification, which the club is not prepared to pay for.
He’s 29 and he is a defender and Chelsea want him to replace John Terry. Quite why Arsenal want him when we already have lots of players is beyond me.
6: Aleksandr Golovin.
He is with CSKA Moscow, he’s a midfielder, he’s 21, Chelsea want him, and he will cost £10m. Or £11m if we buy him next week, at the rate the pound is sinking against the pobble bead.
7: Mahrez.
We know about him, but apparently there is a delay in getting Mahrez because Mr Wenger is hoping to get Real Madrid and Colombia attacking midfielder James Rodriguez. If we get neither that makes the perfect “dithering” story.
Old Friends
1: Serge Gnabry
Bayern Munich have signed our old chum Serge Gnabry (now 21) on a three-year deal from Werder Bremen. Serge was quite a hit in the German Olympic team I seem to remember.
According to our old chum “R E Ports” this means Bayern’ “have now given up on signing Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez.”
2: Cesc Fabregas.
According to the Daily Mirror, he is the one we need to sign.
Not Arriving
1: Kylian Mbappe
“Arsenal are “set to” miss out on Kylian Mbappe after Monaco ruled out selling the striker.”
I find that rather amusing – does anyone seriously think that the club are sitting there pondering “shall we sell him?” Mbappe has apparently been the youngest player to make his Ligue One debut, the youngest player to score a Ligue One hat-trick and became the youngest player in the last 30 years to score 10 French league goals.
2: Oguzhan Ozyakup
And Roma are making a £13 million bid for Oguzhan Ozyakup of whom we have spoken before.
3: Henry Onyekuru,
Eupen have rejected West Ham’s £7m bid as they feel uncertain about whether and when they would get the money, according to a scurrilous report of which I don’t believe a word. Fine upstanding club is West Ham. Not their fault they got the stadium for free. So Eupen are going to sell the player to Dortmund. Or failing that Red Bull Leipzig, Schalke, Borussia Monchengladbach, Lyon, Lille, Monaco, Nice, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Fiorentina or Roma. But not WHU. Nor Arsenal it seems. Odd that.
Leaving
1: Alexis Sanchez.
Manchester City are preparing to make a £50m bid for Alexis Sanchez. But I think we already had that one. I mean, if you are going to make something up, surely it can actually be made up, but not a reprint of what someone else made up. How about £50m plus 1p.
2: Giroud to West Ham.
What is interesting is Bilic has said he wants more pace up front, and he’s not going to get that with Giroud. Mind you that Bilic – he’s such a tease. Know what I mean?
3: The Ox to Liverpool!
The maddest bunch of geezers in the pub – the Daily Express scribblers have announced that Liverpool are willing to pay up to £40m for the Alex Oxlade Chamberlain.
Craziest analysis of the week
“Arsenal’s summer transfer needs: Finding a striker is a must”. That’s from Fansided. After a season in which we were one of only two teams to have three players scoring in double figures, and scored just eight goals fewer than the champions (ie around one goal in every five games), and had a player who scored 30 goals in all competitions, we need a striker?
Of course if Alexis goes we need to replace him, but the last statement I saw was that he was not going. So no point buying a must buy striker just yet.
That’s it. More anon, as they say.
Untold Social
Beware the phone caller who asks “Have you had a car accident that wasn’t your fault?”
Why you should pause before you pay that parking fine
Untold Arsenal
Arsenal set to cull ten over 21 players from the first team rosta..
What happened in last four seasons and how football bloggers could learn from politics
Kkkk I wonder if Mr Wenger can go all the way to buy mbappe after all we know he is stingy with money
Two players I would love to see at the Emirates, Virgil Van Dijk and Aubameyang. It obviously won’t happen but one could dream. An Aubameyang/Sanchez attack would put the wind up most of the PL ‘big boys’. Forget Mbappe we can’t afford him. Anyone agree?
Technically ainsley mainland niles isn’t the first Arsenal player to win a World Cup winners medal. That honour goes to George Eastham who got a medal belated for 1966
sure.Let’s maintain Giroud Sanchez nWelbs n strengthen the defence. we’ll be OK.
man u bought the most costly n finished behind arsenal.
@Andrew Elder, I agree with you but don’t you think Auba’ 27 now will by next season starts to aged and possibly start losing pace which is his strongest weapon? Consequently won’t be ticking all the boxes anymore I should imagine? And Dortmund won’t be wiling to sell him if not they’ve found out something going weak in him? Le Prof did bid for him last season I think, but his obsession to play for Real Madrid or Barcelona will not allow him to agree terms with the giants Arsenal. And besides, Dortmund asking price for him to sell him to us was too high for Arsenal to pay. Being that he could be used to play centrally for Arsenal next season while Sanchez plays beside him or vice vesal, I think if Aubameyang still has attacking sufficient venom left in him to tally 25-30 PL for Arsenal next season, Le Prof should consider bidding for him in the region of £40-50m to sign him and more.
Who are we signing and more importantly who is leaving ?does anybody know.
Good point Samuel but remember the Bundesliga is not as ferocious as the PL. He looked very fit and lightning quick at the end of their season with great technique. I rate him above Lacazette who is only 1 year younger. Still, probably wishful thinking. We will probably end up with keeping Giroud and losing Sanchez if we don’t get on with it. If Ozil also goes it will be a disaster. Regarding the CB positions a long term view of Holding alongside Mustafi and Van Dijk could be a great partnership for the future with Bellerin and Kolasinac as wing backs.
Hopefully, Ox has already signed
For some reason i am a little more excited to see Arsenal’s team for 2017/18.
I dont know why, but there is more excitement for me now, even though i got so disgusted with football last season, and was going to unplug myself from the matrix(internet, prices rising and rising and rising).
Still, as long as i am connected, i will watch Arsenal.
//
Aubameyang: if Bayern does not work out will end up at pool for true.
Serge Gnabry never looked at home at Arsenal or in the UK anyway.
//
It is said that when one repeats something often it becomes reality. This one seems to have done so:
“Bundesliga is not as ferocious as the PL.”
A silly statement for anyone who watches European games, for the players work just as hard. If by “ferocious” is meant aggressive, then maybe, PL tends to be more warlike in it’s conception.
Anyway, cant wait for the new season, this has to be the season of seasons, or the season to end all seasons etc.
Indeed Bill, but Eastham didn’t play in the final
Saw some rag reporting yesterday that Mahrez hasn’t considered the offer from Arsenal because he’s waiting to see if there’s interest from Barcelona.
Lollers.
You couldn’t make it up, could you? The preposterous ego of some players, I mean. This is the same game which gave us the humble and unassuming John Terry, remember.