By Tony Attwood
The Guardian has now said that “Arsenal have won the race to sign the Real Madrid midfielder Martin Ødegaard on loan, beating off competition from Real Sociedad and Ajax to secure the services of the 22-year-old attacking midfielder.”
It is said that Arsenal will pay the salary of the player but not a transfer fee. It is hoped that he will be in the squad against Manchester United on Saturday.
That means that our foreign-grown collection of players is now full. If we take on any more then either one of the existing list will have to be sold or placed in an Ozillian position of being on the books but not listed in the 25 man squads.
After his time in Real Mad Reserves he played 38 times for Heerenveen over one and a half seasons (2016-18) then played 31 games in 2018-19 for Vitesse in the Netherlands, and the same number of games again in 2019/20 for Real Sociedad.
This season he has played just nine times for Real Madrid since being recalled from the loan, seven in the league and two in the Champions League. He hasn’t scored.
It is said by the Guardian that Ødegaard “had an outstanding season on loan at Real Sociedad in 2019-20” which is what made Zinedine Zidane recall him.
There is however no option to buy, so this looks like a deal to take the pressure off Emile Smith Rowe and with each able to cover for the other if there should be an injury.
So here is the 25 once more, as it stands after Ødegaard’s addition.
Arsenal’s foreigners
- Alves Soares, Cedric Ricardo
- Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick
- Borges Da Silva, Willian
- Ceballos Fernandez, Daniel
- Dos Santos Magalhaes, Gabriel
- Elneny, Mohamed Naser Elsayed
- Lacazette, Alexandre
- Leno, Bernd
- Mari Villar, Pablo
- Moreira Marinho, David Luiz
- Mustafi, Shkodran
- Partey, Thomas Teye
- Pepe, Nicolas
- Runarsson, Runar Alex
- Tierney, Kieran
- Xhaka, Granit
- Martin Ødegaard
Arsenal’s Englishmen
- Bellerin, Hector
- Chambers, Calum
- Holding, Robert Samuel
- Maitland-Niles, Ainsley
- Reserved for English player
- Reserved for English player
- Reserved for English player
- Reserved for English player
Now the Mirror, always one to stir everything up has run the headline “Mikel Arteta warned two Arsenal stars could pose the same problem as Mesut Ozil.” The two he has in mind are Nicolas Pepe and Willian, who the paper says, could “be dropped” if another player comes into the 17.
This is of course a huge step forward for the Daily Mirror, for it is the first time in which they have admitted that a 17 man limits exists in terms of foreign players and that any more buys will result in a repeat of the ludicrous situation of the first half of the season.
The Mirror, a significant part of football’s QAnon cartel of story inventors and circulators then blame La Nazione, for creating the story that Torreira will be the next one to make way. It is interesting however that the Mirror just gives that link as reproduced here – which is to the paper in general and not to any story concerning the player in question.
It is said that, “Fiorentina have made an offer to take the player on loan until the end of the season, with a clause meaning they would sign him permanently for around £9.7m in the summer. They have made it clear that they are not willing to negotiate, however, and that they will refuse to pay anything more than the price offered.”
But the “six of a kind” issue is a big problem. Pepe, Willian, Ozil, Guendouzi, Sokratis, Torreira are all now seen to be disposable, which perhaps suggests that Arsenal’s purchase, training and motivation policy is a dismal failure. Or it could be just that Mr Arteta is unbending in his view as to discipline and who should be on the books.
And this of course is often the way with clubs where managers are changed regularly.
Personally I’d be surprised if we did take on another foreign grown player without first getting rid of one that we already have but don’t like any more – even if it is at a huge loss. After all if we keep the player and then get rid of him for free the cost will be even greater.
Of the six on the list, Ozil of course has now gone. I’d very much like Guendouzi to return to Arsenal, as I think he adds a lot to the team. We shall of course see. After all I am not sure who would want to buy Willian at this moment.
You have missed out Matt Ryan from the ‘non-homegrown’ list…. meaning someone else has to leave or we are already at the leaving someone out point.
I expect Runarsson will go on loan but who knows.
My only problem is the club going again for benched players when our problem needs players who are ready to fire, eg we bought Partey and DM was solved once now we need a read gaol provider who will be assisted by Smith Rowe as he keeps progressing in order to give him ample time instead of overloading him.
Them 17 players are wrong for a start. Matt Ryan has to be added. They will remove Runarsson.
you forgot the new goalkeeper…..
So what’s the status of Mat Ryan. He’s neither in the home-grown nor foreign category.
I take the point that has been made several times that Matt Ryan has signed and is an overseas player – my mistake. But as pointed out I think the plan at Arsenal is to have just one backup keeper there so indeed Runarsson will leave on loan to get some games. In other words the name is wrong but the numbers are still right I think – I don’t think we will keep two backup keepers. Should both our keepers get injured then we would recall Runarsson – if we could get permission under the emergency rules which exist for bringing in a replacement keeper in an emergency
Okay, I am sorry for the typho errors. But allow me to do the ,moderation by myself please. But four repeated postings to correct myself now made by me? That’s too much as the house rule don’t condone two repeated postings talkless of four.
First of all, I will say capital NO to Fiorentina’s none-negotiable proposed £9.7m dictated transfer fee payable to AFC to signed their Lucas Torreria at the end of this season. But if the player loan deal by Arsenal to Atletico Madrid is cancelled and he is loaned to them Fiorentina.
Anyway, what is even the total amount of Torreria’s Arsenal wages that Fiorentina will be paying him if they happen to take him on loan this winter window before they make his loan to them permanent at the end of this season? But this is a guestion that I don’t have the answer for it.
Nevertheless, Arsenal Premier League and Europa League Cup seasons this season mustn’t be Jeopardized to sacrifice them on the alter of try & error management style. Such as us Gooners have witnessed last Saturday at Saints Mary’s when Southampton dumped holders Arsenal out of this season FA Cup at Rd 4 of the competition. No thanks to Gabriel Maglhaes’s own goal that gave the Saints the win in the match.
But this defeat suffered by the Gunners could be attributed to it was largely due to the strange team selection that Mikel Arteta the Arsenal manager fielded for such an important Arsenal match that was played at away against a very disciplined Saints team.
17 and 5 foreign and home grown English players are said will be on the Arsenal books for their 2nd half of this season’s campaign. Which make them a total of 22 players in number but if Arsenal sign Odegaard on loan and loan out Runarsson this winter window.
The disgruntled Ozil and Sokratis have finally left Arsenal to the relieve of the majority of Arsenal fans including myself who have felt so relieved after seeing those controversial former Gunners who were disruptive and divisive at the club in their behaviours but thank God to see came to an end this winter window.
But would I want to see Arsenal take further gamble steps to sell, loan out or deregistered 2 of their 17 foreign players this winter who are currentl on their books, to sign permanently or on loan 2 new top quality players on or before this winter window’s deadline day? Honestly, I will support this idea if it will lead to a remarkable improvement on the current quality of the Arsenal senior first team squad that will campaign for the remaining part of the club’s seasons in the PL to finish in the top-four places and win the ELC competition this season.
Samuel: in order to keep the site running a lot of the moderation of comments is done automatically, and then I check things several times a day. I think what may have happened is that you have changed your email address or IP address or some other factor and so the system thought you were a new poster, writing in for the first time, and put your posts into moderation.
I am sorry you’ve been messed around but your new settings are cleared now.
Mesut Özil and Sokratis Papastathopoulos were disruptive and divisive? Pics or it didn’t happen.