Mikel has spend money on these defensive players so far at Arsenal – White, Gabriel M, Tomiyasu, Tavares, Zinchenko, Kiwior, Timber, Calafiori, Mosquera. And it has costed the club around 230m GBP. That’s the back line. Lets include Goal Keepers and defensive midfielders to that list – Ramsdale, Raya, Kepa, Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, Norgaard and Zubimendi brings the total spend to about half a billion dollars.
While in attack, we brought in Willian, Marquinhos, Jesus, Trossard, Havertz, Sterling, Madueke, Gyokeres costing us a total of 234m GBP. If we include Central and Attacking midfielders – Odegaard, Vieira, Merino, and Eze the cost would be 396m GBP.
My point is, we have spent about 20% less in attacks than in defence. One of the reasons I can think of, is that we had Saka and Martinelli covering both the wings. Now, this spending and Mikel’s preference for defensive solidarity shows up in stats. We conceded 39, 48, 43, 29, 34, 27 goals across the 6 full seasons he has managed the club. It’s not surprising that we won the Premier League when we conceded the least of all 6 years.
It’s not wrong to say that defence has got us the title.
But, would you say that the football has become more exciting in recent times? I would say no. In the season 2023-24, we played some brilliant football and scored 91 goals. We finished 2nd, short of City but we used to score for fun. Everyone saw the glimpse of what Mikel brings to the table and everyone hoped we would go on to build on it. However, Mikel became too pragmatic for my liking.
In my opinion, this has to do with the risk and Mikel hates it. To score, you have to take risk in pushing your attacking players in the opposition half, which leaves you open at the back. Mikel wants his CF and wingers to be part of the dirty work, even if it costs us some goals. From an Arsenal fan’s POV, it won us a title after 23 years and fuck it, fuck the football we are playing as long as we are bringing the trophies. Pep left with a cabinet full of trophies at City and he is the one who invented this boring, passive football.
But, Klopp and Luis Enrique showed us a better way to win trophies. By playing some attacking football and keeping the ‘sport’ exciting. Jurgen’s Liverpool title winning team of 2019-20 scored 85 goals and conceded 33. It was one of the most fluid, attacking, entertaining team. A front 3 of Salah (19 goals), Mane (18 goals), Firmino (9 goals) helped and a defence of Van Dijk, Alison, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold helped them secure the title. There’s no reason we can’t do this with the players we have. We have the likes of Saliba, Gabriel and Timber in defence. And we have a front 3 of Saka, Martinelli and Gyokeres to score as many goals as Salah, Mane and Firmino.
So, it comes down the manager. Mikel, a disciple of Pep, wants to control the game and safety comes first. Managers like Klopp wants chaos while Enrique picked up some bit and pieces of the tracking back and ball possession but kept the good of both worlds. I want the later, and I don’t care if you don’t believe me but Mikel wants it too. He brought in Eze to get this sorted, and the club is now open to have a talk with Vinicius Jr. Eze has been good, but he is not the one who can score a couple of goals on his own every other games like Salah used to do. Vinicius Jr can do it and that’s one reason I think we are looking at that possibility.
Mikel Arteta is looking for a way out of that boring football, but he can’t achieve it without allowing freedom to the players and taking up some risks. We would faulter, we would concede some un-necessary goals but at the end football will be exciting and the likes of Enrique has showed that it will win you trophies too. They have 2 back to back Champions League trophies to show for.
Right, that’s my 2 cents for today. See you in the comments.
“But, would you say that the football has become more exciting in recent times?”
The football under Arteta has always been poor but its got progressively worse.
Its no good him buying attacking players if he either won’t use them or doesn’t know how to. If Vinicius Jr decided to join us it would purely be because of the money we offered – this is not a good thing. Arteta would fall out with him within 18 months.
This club is too cowardly and gutless to sign a player like Vicinus. Always has been, its in its DNA.
Its only interest is milking and whoring it , for the few vested interests, namely the millionaires and now billionaires.
It would rather buy expensive overpriced cack, just to make out its competing with the big boys.
Its one of the reasons why we have this absolute cunt in charge.
The only manager who bought world class , ready made players in was Bruce Rioch.
Bergkamp and Platt and the cunts in charged soon sacked him off, after he wanted Alan Shearer in and Wright out.
Expect cack, eat cake.
Good work Ambarish on the post , I will add , this cunt also inherited, Saka, Saliba, Martinez and Martinelli as well as spunking a billion on his defensive dross, you have described so nicely.
New season coming, and he is still a CUNT!
Guimaraes almost signed for AFC before. It was very close – He had his pen in his hand when El B had a change of mind. Edu and the rest of the legal team couldn’t believe it. Clare shuffled the paperwork, put it back in her case and said – we have a Wenger Mk II on our hands.
“Following his contract renewal in 2022, Real Madrid now own approximately 50% of his image rights. As a result, the revenue generated through his image rights is considered substantial enough that it effectively covers his salary”
“Arsenal are seen as the only top club capable of signing the Brazilian should he opt to leave this summer and have the financial stability required to pull off his transfer fee and salary…however, a move to London is not as appealing as it means he will have to forfeit the title of being a ‘Real Madrid player,’ something that holds massive value and prestige”
maybe if we had gotten rid of our MIT once he had cleared out most of the dreck we would be one of those clubs who hold massive value and prestige to those who matter most
There is a new laughing stock in the city. A London club has signed 35 years old Danny Welbeck and 36 year old Henderson after missing out on 33 year old Granit Xhaka.
Also, we are not that club.
Sometimes I tend to believe I’m a journalist myself – connecting the dots, having insider news, writing facts in my leisure time.
And here’s the absolute – Wayne Roonie is making a comeback in blue.
TRVL
Real Madrid can always afford these players, Mbappe , Bellingham, Vicinus etc .
Its in their DNA.
They will sack manager after manager until they get where they want.
We had this moronic cunt 6 seasons ,before he fluked it.
But we cant, we have to settle with the overpriced cack and be thankful.
Thats why I have no time for slags like Wicksy ( not personal) but its slags like him, they have always killed us.
Why do you think they have won 15 European Cups and we have won 0?
Even those slags at Chelsea have 2.
AF—couldn’t agree more…the only player of any consequence that our settling fuck of a manager has ever got over the line was Rice and he didn’t help us whatsoever when it came to reducing his fees and likewise required assurnaces about playing further up the pitch, even though he couldn’t even beat out fucking Soucek for that assignment…I dare someone to find a manager who’s received more thanks but no thanks from players of import…he’s like the opposite of fucking Wenger, who foolishly snubbed his nose at some of the greatest players of the last two generations…until we flip this narrative, by signing readymade stars in or approaching their respective primes, we’ll be viewed as the greatest fake news “big” club known to man…Cheers
TRVL
Only one manager since I have been supporting the cunts, who bought world class players, was Bruce Rioch.
The cunts upstairs didn’t like it and sacked him after a year.
Far too outspoken and wanted Ian Wright out and Alan Shearer in.
Mee , Neill, Howe, Graham, Wenge Emery were always looking for bargains, thats why they kept their jobs for so long.
With this current cunt, its slightly different , he has been given some money but spunked it on some absolute duds and then plays like Bassetts Wimbledon.
AF—even Jose never spent so excessively to construct a defence-first squad…like 2nd term Wenger, Arteta wants all the credit/control, so why would he sign the kind of players we’re speaking of…at least Wenger wanted to play an attractive brand of football, but that’s also why he had less success, (once Dein had left the building) as that style of play requires a certain level of talent to succeed at the highest of levels…furthermore, Arteta’s clearly believes he’s the smartest person in.every fucking room he enters, which has led to his shoehorning escapades…if only he had an ounce of fucking self-awareness he would realize that he’s not capable of doing the heavy lifting…as such, he should allow Berta to pursue some readymade pieces and let them carry the load…unfortunately I don’t think top-notch offensive players want to work for our tactically stunted cunt
“How Andrea Berta does his business at Arsenal is very clear. It’s not about one target and then the risk of that target not coming. They try to get their ducks in a row with three or four deals. Get as far down the line as they can with as many targets as possible, and then decide which player they are going to go for.”
I very much doubt that players and/or their agents are too keen on Berta’s transfer MO…now that it looks like Yan and Junior are going to be at Real for the foreseeable future and Barcola favours Pool, it will be interesting to see who the fuck is coming here…Bruno isn’t enough of a needle-mover and if we spend heavily on him will ownership be willing to extend themselves for another big money buy…hopefully we’ll sell Zubi so that we can recoup some of that Bruno money…we’re like the ugly girl at the dance
“The gold standard is those who know what they want and move early because they have had a plan in place all along. It helps to have a lot of money and a brand name that attracts the top players”
clearly this journalist isn’t talking about us, minus the money part…we had better do something because all those new rules regarding set piece darks arts and time wasting will make it difficult to run that shit back, thank fucking god
TRVL
You can play the several deals on the go game once maybe twice after that you become a joke and players you do want (or their agents) won’t even pick up the phone when you call.
Marc—we’re playing checkers when everyone else is playing chess…others use us to get a deal done with their preferred club or we end up with losers like Havertz after his agent had us believing that Real fucking wanted him…think of how pathetic you have to be to not be desired landing spot even when you won the League and were in the CL finals
not be “a” desired
What Arteta has done is destroyed the opposition, we have united , Liverpool, Chelsea , Tottenham and city all starting the season with new managers , they are all playing catch up because the owner of those clubs recognise that to compete with Arteta they will have to roll the dice , and we all know that if you roll the dice it is a gamble as success is far from guaranteed.
Pep’s failure to win the title (or Europe)for the past 2 seasons certainly influenced his decision to leave , he did the sensible thing and parted ways with city as the club are in decline, plus of course there are the charges hanging over them.
And who do City bring in , Marcesca who was never a favourite at Chelsea and I doubt will improve City as they are destined to be nothing more than a top 4 side at best before they fade into obscurity..
If I was to pick a team that will challenge Arsenal I would choose united with Liverpool also a possibility, though I doubt that either will be able to last the course .
I have no doubt that what we will see on here is the usual suspects getting overly excited when they see one of the challengers have a decent start to the season , but history shows that the first 6 or so games is never a true reflection of of how the season will pan out .
We will have a few important players out early season just but we will cope as we did last season when we had a potentially crippling injury list .
I have a feeling that Tzolis is going to surprise a few people , plus I would hope the Nwaneri and Dowman are given some real game time as they could save the clubs fortunes if they reach their potential.
What a great time to support the Arsenal though you wouldn’t believe it reading the comments on here , Ufraud is a clown to suggest that Rioch is the answer , his managerial record is about as average as you could find Middlesbrough sacked
Millwall sacked
Arsenal sacked
Wigan sacked
Aalborg sacked
Say no more
Bruno refusing to force through a move to Arsenal…par for the course…we can’t even get a 28 year old on a team that’s been largely gutted to help the cause…that’s Arteta’s Arsenal
Our pursuit of Junior shows just how thirsty and two-faced our little MIT truly is…think about it, every single time this fuck has been given an opportunity to sign/re-up someone with name-value he’s jumped all over it without care or concern for the potential ramifications of his actions…from Auba to Willian to David fucking Luiz to Jesus to Zubi to Havertz…not a single one of these fucks made sense from an organizational and/or tactical standpoint but this fucktard just couldn’t resist…he even offered up Rice assurances that no other team of any import would have even contemplated, especially for the fees involved…let’s not forget that a few years earleir he made sure that everyone under the fucking sun knew that under no conditions would he ever provide anyone, let alone the soon-to-be best Keeper in the world, any assurances…so will the real Arteta please stand up, please stand up
I want to preface the following by stating unequivocally that I want players the likes of Junior in an Arsenal kit more than just about anything, but why would our micromanaging defence-first sideways playing set piece dependent tyrant want a messy, oft-times defensively-lazy wage bill wrecking left winger on HIS squad…nothing about this makes sense, minus Juinor’s uncanny ability to create free kicks opportunities out of thin air…don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an attack on Junior, as he’s a proven talent of the next to highest order, but this manager doesn’t deserve him, as his tactical nonsense has set the PL back some 20+ years
so why oh why would this particular manager want this particular player, who stands for everything MA appears to despise…because he’s a fake-as-fuck wannabe manager who would sell us down the river for the headlines alone…in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t even have any real interest in this player and he just likes having his name connected to Junior, like some online asshole buying followers…problem is this pipe dream gong show will likely jeopardize our ability to conduct any real business…if I was Jose, I would string us along by hiding Junior’s re-up until the final day or two of the window, which I’m sure he would have seriously considered if Wenger was still here
in the end, we’ll likely pay through the nose for some lesser lights in the 11th fucking hour and when those headlines fade before the ink fucking dries we’ll have to hear endlessly about the summer in which we tried to do something of real consequence but failed again…and if that doesn’t satisfy the masses I guess he can always blame it on the refs
Slagsy
You can call me cunt, fraud , or whatever but dont be a serious cunt and come out with this.
“”as they could save the club fortunes”””
Why the fuck , do you want to save these greedy carpet bagging cunts money?
Is it yours?
I want these cunts not to save money, I want these cunts spending the cunting money on exciting world class talent , not on Gyokeres, Havertz, Madueke, Zubimendi , Jesus, Ramsdale Zinchenko, Sterling, Vieira, Tzollis and all the other overpriced cack we get served up.
‐————————
That is how Arsenal supporters have been conditioned , and its exactly why , we have never won the CL and only ever really watched a small handful of world class players live, depsite what the low life bottom feeding parasitic media liars say.
Ball, Brady, Bergkamp, Henry Vieira, Suker
About 5 or 6 world players only out of all the hundreds.
So dont be a cunt, demand that they spend it, not save it.
Slagsy
Do you think Real Madrid, Manchester United or Barcelona or Bayern Munich or Liverpool supporters drone on about wage structures for fucking years or “saving the club money” like our brain dead support.
Arsenal supporters have always been thick cunts, no doubt about it including me for supporting the cunts.
But I clocked the cunts real motives around the time they moved stadium and told some of the biggest lies ever.
They are the biggest frauds in the game, no different to FIFA in many ways.