By Tony Attwood
Arsenal are, quite obviously, not in the same financial league as Paris Saint Germain, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus or Manchester City. Or now it seems Atlético Madrid. Simply, Arsenal doesn’t have access to vast wealth provided by owners and/or sponsors.
But maybe that should not worry us too much, in that with wealth can come indiscipline. For we read stories of late of both players and clubs behaving in ways that suggest all is not harmonious in the world of the so utterly mega rich that if you started to try and count the riches, the riches would roll themselves up in a ball and punch you in the face for being so impertinent.
Neymer, it seems, failed to return to training when he should. It seems he’s fed up with life in Paris and wants to go to Barcelona.
This comes after he posted a video on Instagram which included pictures of a woman in bed, in what he claimed was a necessary revelation to show that he had not raped a woman at a hotel in Paris last month. An interesting ploy.
PSG have said that Neymar will be disciplined for failing to attend training. PSG in a statement said that, “The club regrets this situation and will therefore take appropriate action.”
Of course as ever Barcelona were not slow to get in on the act. Josep Maria Bartomeu, the Barça president, said, “We know Neymar wants to leave PSG, but we also know that PSG don’t want him to leave.”
Neymar is also banned in France, as in May he was given a three-match ban for hitting a fan after PSG’s French Cup final defeat to Rennes. And there is the unfortunate fact that he is also suspended for the first three games of the coming season’s Champions League for insulting match officials during PSG’s 3-1 home defeat to Manchester U in February.
But then, I am not sure Barcelona want him back – unless it is to collect the €75m they say he owes them for breach of contract. But Neymar says Barcelona owe him €28.6m for his signing on fee. Interestingly Fifa ruled that this dispute was nothing to do with them, so it is now being heard in the civil courts – something that Fifa usually work hard to avoid.
And then we come to Griezmann. Atlético Madrid are a trifle miffed that he too has not turned up for training, because he wants to move to…. well, you can guess can’t you? Barcelona. Atletico say that Barcelona and Griezmann agreed their own deal earlier this year without telling At Mad.
Atlético have been a bit miffed, have refused to discuss the matter, and have accused Barcelona of a “lack of respect.” Which is a bit like accusing Easy Jet of paying little heed to passenger comfort. It simply isn’t part of the deal.
At Mad want Griezmann to turn up for training since he is still at the club. But apparently he sent a mobile phone message in which he said that since his buy out clause was being met he did not have to turn up for training. At Mad claim that they have evidence that Griezmann and Barcelona had reached an agreement during last season that the player would leave Madrid – which would be an illegal bid. Of course the League could do all sorts of things to Barcelona for this serious breach of the rules but I suspect that they will do nothing. The club is more powerful than the league. A bit like Manchester City in England.
Meanwhile it is being suggested that Atlético have already spent all the money that they will get for Griezmann, which is why they are so uppity about having the money now. Apparently their bankers are not that happy.
Their purchases have been
- Nico Ibanez £??
- Marcos Llorente £35.6m
- Renan Lodi: £??
- Felipe: £18
- Héctor Herrera: free
- João Felix: £113m
Although to be fair they have sold a few as well. Funny ol’ game.
So what’s going on at Arsenal then?…the same thing with Koscielney!!! And we have vast sponsorship money and season ticket sales. I don’t see any player revolt or money problems at Spuds, Liverpool, City or Chelski and even Pogba’s turned up for Man Utd even though he’s ‘desperate’ for a new challenge away from OT.
The board are still our problem and primarily Stan Kroenke, as he’s proving to us all that he has no ambition with Arsenal and still can’t get transfers done without a complete disaster. Even the old board members like Lady Nina totally regret selling out to the thieving Yank. Oh how we miss the ambition and love for the club of David Dein and Danny Fiszman.
The funny thing about all this funny business is that the media are not making these indiscretions of these players out to be a sign of failure and incompetence of either Barcelona or PSG or Athletico as they would in the case of everyone’s favorite bash box “Arsenal” a la the koscienly saga.
People are always always spiked up to portray the Arsenal as anything but well run it seems when “more than a club” are allowed to get away with murder.
It’s just a pity.
That would be the Dein who recruited Wenger…
Yes Tony. That was a master stroke bit of recruitment on Dein’s behalf. I liked Wenger, but just thought he’d taken us as far as he could and was part of the problem in the end. But it’s evident now that the main problem has always been Kroenke, even more so now with his full takeover.
I remember when Dein was going all out to sign Sol Campbell, one of the best defenders around at the time and courted by all the top teams in Europe. Dein even said ‘if Sol doesn’t come, we have bigger fish to fry!’ That’s how much he cared about the ambition of the team and success on the pitch, unlike this current lot of penny pinching board members.
As much as Dein was key on our success through Wenger, it was his hunger for success that eventually began the erosion of our structure. He started the rot by selling his stake to Red & White. Fitzman in his sad demize and ill health decided to sell his stake to Kronke. Nina eventually succombed to the sale of her families stake to Kronke.
All of these shareholders were from families that loved the club & its history. The current owner doesn’t give a toss for the history, just the earning potential. His wife might have been / might be a better share holder with more empathy for the sporting history. I just hope that someone in that family has a flicker of emotion for Arsenal the football club.
Geoff @ 7:58a has hit the nail precisely on the head. I’m surprised the media haven’t citicised Arsenal for the sky above the Ems being blue, the color of the reigning champs. I really don’t pay attention to it, as I’ve mentioned on various threads.
What I do pay attention to is the current dismal owner and Board. In Forbes Magazine’s recent valuation of football clubs AFC is listed as 7th MOST VALUABLE IN WORLD FOOTBALL. This is what KSE care about. If that rating ever slips out of the top 10 or so, there will be no money or ambition from KSE. If Arsenal slip too far KSE won’t invest to bring the club back, but will sell on with a tidy billion or so profit. Has it ever occurred to Kroenke et al that if they treated the club like the 7th most valuable, it might move up the money (and League) table instead of down? Just wondering. But I fear not. Content to take the profit as is.
Has the Koscielny sudden unlawful wanting out of Arsenal this summer opened up a can worms in the club that having to be causing some discussions and comments that are being discussed and commented on it? Which have nothing to do with Koscielny insane strike action at Arsenal attempting to force the club hierarchy Chiefs hands to grant him a free transfer away from Arsenal this summer, while he’s still on the club’s payroll and from all indications can still play football at the highest level for Arsenal next season.
I think Arsenal have the capacity and the enabling will to deal with the flagrant disobedience behaviour bordering on discipline disrupte at Arsenal that Koscielny has brought to the club this summer. And Arsenal will come out clean and become stronger than imagine next season after disciplining Koscielny when the team squad and the club officials return from pre-season matches tour in the USA.
I think before Arsenal return from the USA tour, Koscielny should tender his apology unreservedly to the club bosses and his team mates for his taking the club officials and his club mates for granted by making a request that apparently will not be granted to him for obvious reasons.
Menace…………Kronke’s motto is ¨nothing personal, strictly business¨!
omgarsenal …………. His wife must love business..??
Tony please!!! Now we’re poor compared to athletico Madrid? Who play in the same team with the 2teams you’ve told us countless times share all the league money? Please, just stop it. The only things ath Madrid have as advantage are
1. Ability to turn potential talents into stars which they sell on for good profit -Torres, Aguero, Costa,forlan, griezmann,de gea, falcao etc. Unfortunately from the latter Wenger years we hardly made any money from sales. We pile up youth players who eventually leave after 5years for nothing.
2. The courage to re-invest the cash earned from sales, buying big if they have to -lemar, Costa, now Felix
3. Of course not forgetting brave leadership from the manager -Simeone. I believe a brave manager is able to impress his demands on the board
Menace, his wife is the daughter of the WALMART owner….and boy does she ever love business!!