For the first time in this century, we did our business as fast as the situations allowed. We had an agreement in place for Rice and though there were some tussles, it was never off the table. We paid the money West Ham demanded, got our target and that’s done and dusted. Same happened for Havertz, an opportunity arises, Mikel wanted him so we went to Chelsea with a bag full of cash and brought him to the better side of London.
We wanted Ben White’s back up, who can play at LB if the need be and Timber arrived. With Champions League games this season, we needed more of a Ramsdale competition and not a back up. David Raya signs for Arsenal and Brentford agreed to our demands to keep the FFP happy.
Good, right? Not really. We spent some serious money, exactly what the buying clubs wanted and one of those deals include 65m for Kai, who hasn’t really been pulling trees. But when it comes to selling, it feels like we are John Snow – bending the knee and knows nothing.
Yes, my frustration is with Kieren Tierney deal. KT is a brilliant fullback, just because Mikel thinks he can’t do what he wants, doesn’t mean he is a player you have to send out on a loan. Loaning an Arsenal player and Scotland international who is only 26 years of age and has 102 appearances for Celtic and 91 for Arsenal, on loan to Real Sociedad is maddening; even when you don’t consider the Timber injury and we are in a for a LB now who will take time to settle at the club. A readymade player for peanuts, a replacement for the price of a buggati which will need some maintenance to its exhaust system.
Anyone saying a loan deal will improve his price tag is fooling himself. It doesn’t happen when an Arsenal player joins Real Sociedad. It didn’t happen with Pepe, Maitland-Niles, Cedric, Bellerin and it will not happen with Tierney.
Another case is Tavares. We wanted to sell him, Forest wants a loan and an option to buy. The only positive thing about Nuno’s forest move would be that he will get Premier League game time and he has both potential and age in his favor.
Rumours are out there that Chelsea wants ESR. It’s only a rumour, but heck if it turns out to be true, I have a feeling we will agree for 25m, for a player who was priced 80m before injury and is back to fitness after being operated for a permanent fix to his injury concerns. We are so bad at selling, we let go Maitland-Niles for free, after rejecting 20m from Wolves a season back. We sold Leno for less than what we were okay to pay for a reserve keeper in Turner.
Our biggest sale till date is 34m for AOC to Liverpool, ages ago. Sums up everything I guess.
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I understand we are the biggest club in London. And we have several revenue sources, in Season Ticket Sales, advertisements, MatchDay earnings, and Merchandise sales. However, player sales can be an equally good source. Chelsea has been doing it for ages, while competing for titles for years. I’m not asking for a Dortmund/Brighton model, because we have better ambitions but identifying players not needed for the system and generating good sales on them should be a must.
Because, your inefficiency in generating sales will not stop you from buying players. And because the difference will be paid by the public through the ticket prices. I’m sure the 120 bucks I spent on buying just a tshirt contributes to Havertz salary and I’m sure it could have been KT’s 40m added up with 15m for Tavares.
We had/have been poor in selling. Everyone knows that. There’s no attempt to fix that, is what is baffling me. Club don’t need to worry if they take up a stance to stick to their valuations and a deal falls off, because the fans who are supporting Tierney loan and ESR sale to Chelsea will support that too.
Art,
I think the difference with CL football is that he needs to take every game seriously and not assume there’ll be dead rubbers where he can shoe horn Elneny in for a giggle. His currently non-existent player rotation skills are going to be tested to the maximum.
In final analysis, it’s not going to matter hugely – if we do get through the group stages we’re bound to meet Bayern in the last 16 and we know how that’ll play out. 😁
Fulham should have won with 10 men, because of his tactical shortcomings.
Soppy bollocks spends £100 million on a defensive player and we still drop points against 10 men because we look so open as a team.
The Europa Conference is his level, not Champions League. These other managers are too smart and streetwise.
He will try Ramsdale on the wing or something ridiculous.
tbh it’s not like I think we’re shit out of luck if we don’t acquire another quality piece or two before the window closes, I just think if we do standpat we could be staring straight in the face of another missed opportunity…so far we bought the world’s most expensive passenger, a backer who didn’t survive the opening week, albeit I think there’s plenty of up-side there if he returns to 100%, a top quality DM, who appears to have his sights set on being a more offensive cog in our mishapen wheel, and another starting Keeper, who will undoubtedly muddy the already problematic selection waters at some juncture…so besides the fact that we’re thankfully open for business, it’s hardly gone according to planned
there’s no doubting that the supposed impetus behind the above maneuvers was to embolden MA to deviate from his overtly static tactical playbook…unfortunately it appears as if his plan B required an unwise amount of shoehorning and revisionist thinking, as this new model feels a whole lot like his mind-numbing sideways-dependent 4-2-3-1…ironically, the only players who might have provided him with something a little different, positionally-wise, have either been shipped or are nailed to the fucking bench
Tierney could have generated some much-needed width on the left, which would have undoubtedly helped Marts and others, while still providing us with the defensive zone coverage that Zinchenko clearly can’t supply. Balo was the only up top option on our roster with some directness in his toolbox, should we want to keep defences honest by showing them something different from an attacking standpoint. Then there’s ESR, who, if he stays, will likely continue to struggle for minutes, although MA might throw him a bone over the next little bit simply due to the attention he received when it appeared as if Chelsea was sniffing around…so unless you truly favour Vieira, Nelson, Eddie and/or Jorginho as the kind of supporting cast members who can unlock top teams at home or abroad, should our offensive woes continue, there could be some tough sledding ahead
now I’m not suggesting that they were the definitve answers either, even though all 3 have proven at some point that they can impact the offensive side of things when given the opportunity, I’m just wondering why none have been properly replaced or, in ESR’s case, seen the pitch…this goes directly to my concerns surrounding our present manager, as he can’t seem to walk and chew gum at the same time…so much so that I think, based on his team construction, he was actually going to play this wannabe copycat inverted clusterfuck 24/7, regardless of our opponent, minus maybe City, even if it required him to shoehorn half the fucking squad
with this in mind, wouldn’t it have been best if he actually took the 200+M and bought those who fit his specific script, in their best possible positions, then devised a secondary plan that required the opposition to adapt or face the consequences, which could have been so cathartic considering how many times he’s been on the losing end of that equation…it’s all a bit too “same shit different mix” for me
Morning all
I think the blindingly obvious elephant in the room is our wafer thin defense numbers with annual crocks who can break down any time – let alone when being played into the red zones.
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KP I echo your passion and desire to do well, but you know deep down your exuberance will only be quenched on disappointment. You won’t be alone in your incredulousness at whatever the galaxy brain has come up with to offend our eyes, as it won’t be pulsating football?
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AF you’re absolutely right in those being tough draws because the continental managers are vastly more experienced than our 4-year wonder boy replete with cape and hair, but no football manager’s brain or a grain of humility.
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Just narcissistic ego filling the empty spaces normally reserved for sound judgement and vast emotional reasoning with forgiving & understanding leadership qualities that Klopp, Potch and indeed Howe often display.
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At the risk of sitting on the fence you are both right in your own ways, and where, if last season’s squad was just rearranged for round pegs for round holes, with about 4 incoming players namely; Rice, Caicedo, Mitoma and Timber.
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We would have been equipped to challenge on all fronts, and in particular in the CL and PL, where we would have possibly been top of a tricky group even though Arteta’s first 2 Europe games were disastrous against Emery’s Villarreal.
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However, the reality is we have, as I’ve been boring everyone here recently, is that our left side is going to be a 4-lane freeway size route to Ramsey or Raya, and where our once perfectly tight defense last season bar the odd lapse across the back four, is now a reasonably open target to pepper at will with little resistance on route to our goal.
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The only reason big Gabs loses his head is because we were weak left field last season with Xhaka on walk about up top. He’s not equipped to be as mobile as Saliba or with silky skills on the ball; Gab’s mostly panics. A great coach plays to Gabs strengths and is tactically astute to cover for the odd panic induced brain fart from gabs as Saliba did last season until his injury.
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Gabs will never be Rhodri or prime VVD, but he is a solid and a reasonably quick natural LCB and thereby with Saliba we have 2 pegs in their correct holes. Huzzar!
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Gabs often has aerial supremacy in our defense and weighs in with goals from our set pieces each season. So what’s the problem? Arteta’s wrath and clueless leadership qualities perhaps?
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Our Gabs is a very big emotional lump, 2nd only to Zinchenko for waterworks’ displays so perfect for Spitting Image. You don’t use vinegar on those types or any types really, you use HONEY and a much simpler and softer approach asking them what they felt contributed to the play leading to the mistake (goal) etc? Debriefing in the calms of coming days in the future. Not screaming at out players pitch side in their face.
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You don’t think Klopp doesn’t want to batter players in the dressing room he’s smiley to pitch side? He understands players are humans with stressed emotions because he has enough of his own.
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A&E? Not a clue, not a one! Arteta is an actor for the cameras and press putting on his shows of make believe of how clever he is, and how everyone lacks the real vision he has. His touchline tantrums tell us different as does his in-game management.
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Grade ‘AAA’ Anal through and through with his players who are just shirt numbers and only money who must only speak when spoken to, and to be quiet when the adults (coaches and Doris) are speaking.
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And so the initial point that seems far from where we are now. Ah yes, the reality of our TW and what to expect for the rest of the season, which, of course all depends on our defense or lack of it this season.
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Having tried to reason KP’s and AF’s thoughts; the real answer lies in our back 4 or 3 depending on whatever Arteta is overthinking at the time.
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We have Tomi/White at RB.
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Tomi, sadly will break down under the stress of the position Arteta needs Tomi to play supporting Saka. Equally, White last season showed some good interchanges with Saka and Ode on the right, but couldn’t keep the pace much past 60 minutes at high efficiency output, so was subbed with Tomi when Tomi was fit.
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At RCB; Saliba who is in my mind top 3 in that position globally and still constantly improving while making few big mistakes. Usually calmness personified under pressure and excellent in trench warfare defending as a unit and helping Gabs in times of panic.
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BUT? What when Saliba is injured or sick?
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Back injuries are simply debilitating especially for people who have trapped nerves when the body is under pressure. I’m living proof of that now with a constant reminder of sharp pain from such an injury 30 years ago.
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Very easy to agitate and takes time to recover and if this happens who replaces our man-made fortress: Saliba? Will we keep the ever dependable and far more hairy in play: Holdinho?
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To put in football technical terms, we are fucked if Saliba is injured. The fanboys will sigh a huge sigh and even bigger releases from their collective anuses for relief as they will have their ready made excuse again and for them Arteta equilibrium has been restored for a new contract extension.
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Now, if not Holdinho, then who in place of Saliba? ………….anyone………?
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Right now we’re expecting that issue to be fixed in the next 24 hours; however, what about Big Gabs?
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To be or not to be? That is the question for Sunday’s game on everyone’s minds, isn’t it?
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His natural replacement is better known as Kiwior the Unready! His sideways and backward passes, particularly the odd hospital pass he’s becoming renown for will be something for Manure to feast on.
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Basically, Holdinho is better, but A&E are listening to offers for him – got to get the Osimhen money together form the next summer TW, right? – So, LCB Kiwior it is then. He might or might not grow into the part meaning that Big Gabs with the odd brain fart is still best suited. Shocker I know!
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Now, if you thought the last 3 back line positions were tricky, I’ve saved the best for last the trusty old left back. It’s ok we have our best and fastest defender: KT 🙂 What was that? He’s gone to who’s dad, junior? Oh you mean Real Sociedad.
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Anyone know why? I mean that’s far more than a head scratcher for me. Colour me stupid if you want, but even with break downs, it’s better to have KT who could play really well as LCB than not in place of Gabs at a push.
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Please don’t tell me KT doesn’t fit the system? What fcuking system? Every player looks confused currently.
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Aforementioned posts of high lines and need for speedy defenders et al, who do we have for LB now? Obviously, Zinchenko who can invert, but not defend well, and cries when beaten, and is part of Arteta’s merry band of crocks he’s personally bought and broken.
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Ok, who else we got for LB? Kiwior? Yes, multi positional needing loans for each position is our cover for LCB and LB.
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Have any not our Hale Ender defenders got PL minutes? Stop laughing you lot. So, it’s a no then so who? And, look as I might, the only transfer we might get is the on and off Garcia affair with .
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Barca.https://www.transfermarkt.com/eric-garcia/profil/spieler/466794
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A right footed CB & defender – wait a minute right footed to play LB or LCB – very Timbereasque.
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But before we all think it’s going to be a repeat of the last 2 seasons’ run ins with the playing the least injured, and our injury room full with galaxy brain thinking it’s ok because Rice started as a CB, we have natural cover and then that old chestnut of players being in 2 places at once is going to haunt Arteta again.
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Whatever way we look at it our current defense is a shitshow and disaster waiting to happen. The only silver lining in this is Arteta will have to go because he will have nowhere to go or hide.
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I’ve tried to add a little mirth into what is a very unhappy post to write knowing that we are all going to be right once more come next May. Trouble is there is no pleasure in being right about Arteta and the club we love.
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Have a good one LIR
it’s better to have KT who could play really well as LCB. but only in place of Gabs, at a push, than not at all.*
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Much distractions today. 🙂
Gravenberch to Pool is criminal when we only get Havertz, but then we have A&E running the TW that they still haven’t got right with 13 hours to go. Nope, doesn’t look like they will get it right. .
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I think at a minimum we need the following:
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Left footed Left back
Right footed Right Back (can be cover for Timber)
Right footed cover for Saliba
LCB to replace Gabs if Gabs really is out of favour.
A 9 capable of 20+ goals a season
Give ESR starts at 8
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Anyone think differently?
Word out of the horse’s mouth, A&E are happy with their squad and concentrating on outgoings.
Edu drops deadline day hint
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Arsenal’s sporting director Edu has hinted that Arsenal will be focusing on selling players on deadline day instead of incoming deals.
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Speaking at yesterday’s Champions League draw, the Brazilian said: “Now we are talking about trying to balance the squad a little bit better.
“We keep talking to a few clubs, but so far, we are really happy with the transfer window and we have to say thank you very much to all the people that work at the club to make that happen – good, exciting season ahead for us!”
What does Edu know that we don’t?
We have to get this TW right says our MIT. Well you didn’t, because you got one player in, 1 injured and one a reject that doesn’t fit plus we are light in Defense and never mind the galaxy brain farts on top of that.
Tony
Thanks for reminding me about the Villarreal game. Another Arteta classic, being mugged off by Unai Emery.
I only remembered Olympiakos , Sporting Lisbon exits.
So this group , although it should be a cakewalk , won’t be , with soppy bollocks in charge.
As for the current transfer window, we can sum it up simply enough, we buy ridiculously high and we sell ridiculously low.
If you are unable to get decent cash for a player like Tierney, you are not going to get much from anywhere else.
Fucking shambles after four seasons, we can’t get money for our players.
Meanwhile Manchester City are getting £45 million for Palmer as well.
How can you spend £200 million in a transfer window, recouped next to nothing in fees and 2 games into a season be looking at a weaker squad?
Marc
I know Arteta treats the fanbase like cunts these days, with the puppys , olive trees , excuses , slogans and continually signing Chelsea slags no one wants, no one can tell me with a straight face loaning out Tierney makes any fucking sense whatsoever.
why? and we have the extra European games?
Art
If it had happened before Timber’s injury you could at least understand there being a reason even if you disagreed with it.
Afterwards? I think its deliberate so he can use the weak squad as a defence.
Marc
What a slap in the face for Tierney, that Timber took his place immediately at left back. Same as what is happening with ESR and preferring Havertz.
What happened next is typical soppy bollocks decision making,
Tierney fucks off on loan
Timber out for the season.
Art, I’d call that Karma for Arteta. You reap what you sow.
Arsenal in a nutshell—the pending Rob Holding deal—we bought him for 3M in 2016 from Bolton…thought to have been a crafty and somewhat atypical Arsenal maneuver with future projections in mind…at some point his value managed to peak at 18M, yet 8 years and millions of wages paid later, we sell him for 4M, even though his MV is 8M…so indicative of our piss-poor asset management practices
btw, his MV was 250,000 when we paid 3M
I would suspect/hope that we might make a late push for Cancelo, now that it appears as if his loan deal to Barca has been scuppered…still looking more like an in like a lion out like a lamb type of window, which wouldn’t be a good look considering Timber’s injury and our present underwhelming form
Arsenal TW to date:
In
Trending
Deadline Day LIVE! Salah, Amrabat, Gravenberch latest
Man Utd agree Amrabat deal
All the Deadline Day done deals!
David Raya – Brentford, loan
Kai Havertz – Chelsea, £65m
Also See:
Declan Rice – West Ham, £105m
Jurrien Timber – Ajax, £38m
Out
Folarin Balogun – Monaco, £34.3m
Kieran Tierney – Real Sociedad, loan
Matt Turner – Nottingham Forest, £10m
Granit Xhaka – Bayer Leverkusen, £21.4m
Pablo Mari – Monza, undisclosed
Auston Trusty – Sheffield United, £5m
Nikolaj Moller – St Gallen, undisclosed
Mazeed Ogungbo – Barrow, undisclosed
Matt Smith – Wigan, free
Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Lyon, free
Mauro Bandeira – Colchester, loan
Hubert Graczyk – Slough Town, loan
Billy Vigar – Eastbourne, loan
Mika Biereth – Motherwell, loan
Zach Awe – Southampton, free
Charlie Patino – Swansea, loan
Marquinhos – Nantes, loan
Ben Cottrell – NS Mura, undisclosed
Tom Smith – Colchester, free
Joel Ideho – Released
George Lewis – Released
Kaleel Green – Released
Alexandar Kovacevic – Released
Tino Quamina – Released
Mathaeus Roberts – Released
Alex Runarsson – Cardiff, loan
Tyreece John-Jules – Derby, loan
Brooke Norton-Cuffy – Millwall, loan
Nuno Tavares – Nottingham Forest, loan
By contrast with Bloom’s Brighton being the most astute player acquisitions this is BHA TW movements:
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Brighton
In
Carlos Baleba – Lille, £23.2m
Bart Verbruggen – Anderlecht, £16.3m
Mahmoud Dahoud – Borussia Dortmund, undisclosed
Igor Julio – Fiorentina, undisclosed
Joao Pedro – Watford, undisclosed
Igor Julio – Fiorentina, £14.5m
James Milner – Liverpool, free
Jacob Slater – Preston, undisclosed
Noel Atom – RB Leipzig, free
Ansu Fati – Barcelona to Brighton, loan
Out
Alexis Mac Allister – Liverpool, £35m
Robert Sanchez – Chelsea, £25m
Moises Caicedo – Chelsea, £115m
Reda Khadra – Reims, undisclosed
Taylor Richards – QPR, undisclosed
Antef Tsoungui – Feyenoord, undisclosed
Teddy Jenks – Forest Green Rovers, free
Haydon Roberts – Bristol City, free
Jack Spong – Queen’s Park, free
James Beadle – Oxford United, loan
Kacper Kozlowski – Vitesse, loan
Jeremy Sarmiento – West Brom, loan
Kjell Scherpen – Sturm Graz, loan
Abdallah Sima – Rangers, loan
Odel Offiah – Hearts, loan
Marc Leonard – Northampton, loan
Aaron Connolly – Hull, undisclosed
Deniz Undav – Stuttgart, loan
Michal Karbownik – Hertha Berlin, £2m
Jensen Weir – Blackpool, loan
Carl Rushworth – Swansea, loan
Ed Turns – Leyton Orient, loan
Toby Bull – Released
Billie Clark – Released
Matthew Everitt – Released
Todd Miller – Released
Sam Packham – Released
Casey Gabriel-Shann – Released
Fynn Talley – Peterborough, free
Lorent Tolaj – Released
Ben Wilson – Released
Andrew Moran – Blackburn, loan
Yasin Ayari – Coventry, loan
Cameron Peupion – Cheltenham, loan
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12878348/transfer-news-summer-transfer-window-2023-premier-league-ins-and-outs
See Brighton’s and our TW movements as a contrast in older comments.
Tony
I see soppy bollocks 2, Edu is struggling to find a buyer for Lokonga.
Luton the latest, of course it will be a loan at best. More karma?
He couldn’t sell lube in a knocking shop.
Other clubs simply taking the piss as usual on transfer deadline day.
We just can not sell players, and that ultimately means ticket prices have to go up.
Cheers Tony for taking my earlier points about Balo and Holding to the nth degree…much appreciated…until we rewrite this “amateur hour personified” narrative we will never be considered one of the elite clubs in Europe
the PR machine is in full force, as here are a few of the headlines involving the Holding deal:
“Arsenal set to seal multi-million deal today”
“Arsenal about to make 2M profit on player”
“They’ve doubled their investment”
WTF
much like Sambi at the Luton match, it appears as if we’re watching on, when it comes to securing some much-needed late window reinforcements
tick, tick, tick…dud
Mikel’s presser. Can anyone translate what it means?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66687151
just a wannabe coaching savant dumbing it down for us regular folk
TRVL
We are always close with our views and I’m sure you’re like me and not holding out any hope for the season. It looks like Arteta’s comment at the end of the last season of players being able to cope with 80+ games a season.
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More of Partey at RB I assume, especially when the injuries come and they will as they did last season.
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Same shit different season me thinks. Only this time we might break down before xmas.
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Going too leave the pre match and TW round up to you, Ambarish and I’ll give my thoughts on the game tomorrow.
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KP have a great time where ever you’re following the football and Almunia I hope you can enjoy some good few pints with the right company and you’re over your ailments to make a fun and happy weekend.
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Have a good one LIR