Sir Hardly Anyone takes a look at the latest gibberings from the media.
But Goal.com think that this is a good story so they’ve done a lot to publicise the fact that Sidwell says that Arsenal have become a “selling club.” He doesn’t define a “selling club” – which really does need doing. After all, all clubs sell, and quite often because they need to. Everyone has to abide by the pesky 25 rule and the “home grown” rule.
However he still feels able to define the direction of the club as “frightening.” So should we be frightened? And if so, how much?
Transfer Tavern don’t really think we should be frightened at all as they alert us to the fact that quite a few Arsenal supporters like Torreira. Well yes, I do, and so do all my mates. So it is good to know we are not alone.
Elsewhere the Metro picked up on the fact that the Islington Gazette has got excited by the fact that “Freddie Ljungberg has backed Eddie Nketiah to impress if Unai Emery decides to play the 19-year-old in Arsenal’s crucial Europa League clash against BATE Borisov on Thursday.”
The point being that Lacazette can’t play after being red carded, so it seems we need a centre forward. And although I do like Eddie, I think I’d go for Aubameyang at centre forward with two wide men pushing forward and allowing the big fella (as they used to call them) to do his stuff.
Freddie Ljungberg announced that, “If he gets the call, he’s ready to play without question,” – speaking specifically about Eddie.
Football London have moved matters on by listing the players who will be playing for Arsenal’s first team on the opening day of the 1919/20 season.
In goal they have Leno, on the grounds that Cech is hanging up the boots and Ospina is off to Napoli. They, like others, highlight goalkeeper transfers including Nick Pope from Burnley and Legia Warsaw’s Radoslaw Majeck. And credit to them for going further, for while others have lost track of him, they do realise that Emiliano Martinez is “currently impressing on loan at Reading”, and could easily become second in command of the goal.
In defence they go for purchases of a left back and a centre back. Leaving, in order to pay for this will be Shkodran Mustafi and possibly Laurent Koscielny (they are not quite clear on this). They certainly think Sokratis will stay but make no mention of Mavrapanos, who everyone seems to be talking up as a major find for Arsenal. Monreal could stay or go (he’s had a contract extension) and Kolasinac will be sold to bring in more money. Holding and Bellerin will stay they reckon.
Calum Chambers will be put on sale.
In midfield, despite a fan uprising against him (at least as reported by some blogs) Guendouzi along with Torreira are thought to be central, with Xhaka getting one more season.
Mesut Ozil is the attacking midfielder the club want to move to be replaced by cheaper options such as Banega or Nkunku along with one new wide player with Alex Iwobi and Henrikh Mkhitaryan as backups.
Additionally they reckon that if Denis Suarez gets his chance and shines then he could have his loan translated into a permanent contract.
In the forward line they then say that Lacazette will possibly go because a) the manager doesn’t like playing Lacaz and Auba together and Lacazette will bring in cash.
Returning from the loans to take up first team squad places there will be (according to the report) Reiss Nelson to play on the right side of the attack and Emile Smith Rowe as an attacking midfield player.
So a fair degree of changes all round.
Finally Arseblog have pointed out that the match against Wolverhampton on 17 March is now postponed. I also noted that they are calling Tottenham “The Homeless Goblins” which seems a bit insulting to goblins. We’ve been going with “The Tiny Totts” for quite a while now, which still seems amusing and has the benefit of annoying one or two Tottenham fans, who really ought to know better than to get worked up about anything we say.
Still, that’s up to them I suppose.
I think you should be frightened about your club’s disastrous policy of buying mid-priced interchangeable midfield donkeys, which has continued through two regimes.
In your matches one failing donkey gets substituted and another replaces him, ploughing the same furrow. Each is ;robust’ and ill-disciplined, with a tendency to get booked; each gives the ball away cheaply in advanced position; each tends to get turned in defence, out-jumped or beaten for pace. Goals (against) follow.
Get a better transfer policy. The ones you sell are largely glory-hunters or looking for more readies.
How does it feel to be the third best team in London lads?
Spurs fans don’t even mention Arsenal. I wonder why that is?
Also, Sidwell is right. We are going to make a loss this year. We have likely no CL football/money next year and then 3 years straight. Our wage bill is silly for the squad we have. There is hints our transfer budget will be limited to £45m before sales. We are not attracting the real top players anyone. We already have the 6th best squad. We are forcing our best player out. Where’s the joy?
I ascribe fully to the thoughts and beliefs in the quarters of some Gooners who are thinking and believing Arsenal will during the 2nd leg match at the Ems on Thursday night in the Europa last round of 32 knock out BATE Borisov from the competition and advance to the next round of 16 of the competition this season and that’s against irrespective of whatever be the high level of game that BATE will play in the match will not deter Arsenal from knocking them out.
In regard to the youth Gunners who may get called up for the match, one will not be surprised to see Emery call up Nkethia for the match but if he’s fit. For, he has nearly always get called up for Arsenal matches these days by Emery despite his mostly not playing for Arsenal at senior team level but does at times get some closing stage match appearances.
Nevertheless, if at any rate Emery decided to call up any U23 Arsenal team players for BATE, let him include Jeo Willock in his list of the youths he’ll call up for the match in addition to the regular senior team Gunners he’ll call up for the match.
Has Eddie Nkethia unlike Joe Willock proved that he got the goals scoring metal at senior team game level for Arsenal? Definitely, he has proved he has it at PL 2 matches level for Arsenal. But at senior team game level like the one Arsenal will play against BATE on Thursday night, he hasn’t shown it yet that he got it. But there is always the first time for him to prove that he got it for Arsenal and it could be against BATE he’ll prove it but if Emery gives him the chance to lead the line or play in the match for Arsenal and scores or at least gives assist or assists to score.
However, Willock has at senior team competitive match level away to Blackpool in the Cup proved he got the pedigree needed to score for Arsenal at senior team competitive match when he scored a brace for Arsenal in the match. So, will Emery includes him in his selection for the match and also play him in sufficient time in the match. But I don’t think Emery will allow Nkethia to start the match and leads the line if Aubameyang is available. But can Iwobi leads the line or plays at no. 10 for Arsenal? He has mostly been playing as a left wingers for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger who put him there and still playing there under Emery who has also experimentally played him at right wing in recent Arsenal games in the PL. In the absence of Lacazette in the BATE match, it will be interesting to see what will happen if Emery start both Aubameyang and Iwobi jointly to lead the line for Arsenal in the BATE match while Mkhitaryan start at the right wing and Suarez start at the left wing and Ozil start at no. 10 centrally.
It feels like the mid 1970s actually. But I suppose we take comfort in considering the number of years each London team has been the top London team. It makes an interesting chart and one you might like to create for yourself sometime.
I suppose it is because of a lack of a broader perspective in terms of football, and because for most of the existence of the League to do so would have meant looking at a team higher up the league than Tottenham. but it is a shame, because only with a sense of history and perspective can one really understand football in a broad rather than a narrow context.
Fans of a team that doesn’t even remember winning a major tropy trying to poke a stick at a team with numerous records………….I guess this is the most excitment most Spuds have had in their entire life supporting the Tiny Totts
Mikey
I feel another trophy mug coming on 🤣
I wonder if they’ll be able to fit
“We got so close again but as usual bottled it at the last minute, at the lane”
on a coffee mug ?
Yes , Nitram ,true be you . Arsenal have all the cups,while all the other lot have are mugs !
Who was the US President when that other lot last won the old First Division title?
Who was the leader of your country ?
Who was helping the US president alleviate his chronic ‘trick’ back ?
Clue – it definitely was not a chiropractor !
@ Nitram
lmao