Bloody hell, it took Mikel Arteta a total of five and a half season to get a CF. He inherited three – Pepe, Lacazette, Aubameyang but he shipped them all off to play Kai Havertz – a midfielder, Mikel Merino – another midfielder and Trossard – a winger. We finished 2nd three times in a row and I can bet a tenner we would have won at least one of them had there been a proper goal scorer upfront. With the Sesko and Gyokeres saga and the delay that was happening, I was getting sceptical that it might not happen at all, but better late than never.
Since The King left, we had the young 16 year old Walcott wearing that number for a decade, he did much better for his age and the support he had around him. Auba came and delivered some beautiful goals and games for us. Loved him except for his move to Chelsea but hey, he got a family. Nketiah was a trial and failed as it did for the ESR #10. Time will tell whether Gyokeres does justice to the number but let me be clear, I am pretty sure he will.
We are paying £64m to Sporting because the add-ons are too easy. That’s a lot of money after we have already spent some on Kepa, Zubimendi, Norgaard and a lot of money for Madueke. But I DON’T CARE. I just don’t want to see midfielders playing as a striker and I don’t want to see a sulking Havertz up top. We are bringing a striker who has got personality, presence, and intimidation in him. He has some unbelievable stats albeit in a weaker league but hey, he did pretty well in Champions League.
I have no doubt he will do great in red and white. He knows it, so he pushed for the move; his agent knows it so he is marketing himself by dropping 6m of agent fees, the club knows it because ultimately they are going to pay 60+ million GBP for him.
Cristhian is here – Welcome to Arsenal
We have signed Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia. I was always calling out the club to get a proper CF, and ignore this versatility crap everyone throws around these days. How many games have you seen Kiwior, White or Tomiyasu play at CB or which one of them were able to bench Saliba when he was going through a bad form couple season back? No one. We need competition everywhere and we need good back ups.
Mosquera has been a starter for Valencia since 2023/24 season and have played the most number of games for any player in Europe top 5 league who is under the age of 21. If you are not even 21 and you play 73 games as a CB in couple of seasons, you are a talent.
A very good signing according to me, hats off to whoever pushed for it. And we only paid £13m for him with some add-ons. Brilliant deal considering Tomiyasu is gone and we have White/Timber for RB while Calafiori/MLS fight for the LB spot.
–
Right, sorry for a short one today. Days are just getting busier as I am getting old. Hope you are have a good one, wherever you are in the world. Cheers.
just to add one thing, I think the fact that we actually have a real number 9, who will attack the box and drive defenders deeper, players like Eze and Noni will be able to find some shooting lanes just outside the box…of course, Rice, Ode and Saka will do likewise, but their resepctive chances of converting such opportunities is considerably lower…I think our formation will emulate that of Sociedad’s, where Zubi was the single pivot, which was a 4-1-4-1… now this will require our backers to play wider at times, which should actually see both of our wingers getting more 1v.1 opportunities
Good points raised TRVL.
I see we’ve given VG TH’s 14 shirt.
Personally I would have made that a condition of 20 PL goals this season, not counting pens. As always, we give prized gifts away for nothing and before VG has even kicked a ball.
Tomorrow at 12:30pm we play Thomas Franks Spuds in HK where the humidity is horrendous and stifling or was on my many trips there in the last 25 years.
Looking forward to that one to see what Frank has been up to as I warned Spuds will be a big challenge this season.
Will VG get a start?
From the BBC’s gossip page on the website:
“Arsenal remain interested in England winger Eberechi Eze, 27, but are not willing to meet a release clause in excess of £60m and will only bid if Crystal Palace reduce their asking price. (Athletic – subscription required)”
If true demonstrates how completely fucking stupid Arteta’s transfer strategy is – we pay £50 million for Noni who’s going to be back up but won’t pay £60 million for a player who’d be a starter.
Personally I’m still skeptical and think its either paper talk or the players agent trying to drum up interest.
If, if, if Eze signs da ting…I may be getting ahead of myself but I love this player
(To the tune of 3 lions)
Cannon on his chest
Kroenkephobe is beaming
The best from east to west
He will have us dreaming
He’s coming home, he’s coming home
He’s coming…Eze’s Coming home.
when it originally happened it appeared as if the anti-Noni posturing was a logical yet somewhat misplaced protest against the ease by which we spent a considerable sum on a supposed depth piece before redressing our more pressing need…now I’m rather concerned that our fuckwad of a manager had a whole different plan in mind, which explains the seemingly endless haggling over VG’s fees and our unwillingness to pay Eze’s release clause (keeping in mind that this clause might expire on opening day)…as such, I actually believe that the supposed cover piece is the only one of the 3 who MA envisions as a guaranteed starter
now to those of us who don’t prescribe to the Arteta Knows Best nonsense this all seems incredibly counterintuitive, considering our final third needs, but would it really surprise anyone if the player being shoehorned in on his weaker side was the only one with assurances…that’s our MIT in a fucking nutshell…the only saving grace might be that the outpouring of support for VG might force his hand when it comes to deciding between him and his juiced up German bestie
Cheers Tony!
TRVL
We all know Arteta has favourites – and players he didn’t buy really have to go the extra mile to be guaranteed starters. Trossard wants out and Martinelli was never an Arteta “favourite” so Noni being brought in as a starter doesn’t get close to being an unreasonable position.
The ginormous mega tusk elephant in the room is how will Arteta get Havertz into the team if VG is even half decent?
What I think we are seeing in this transfer window for Arsenal is Arteta not wanting to be in a similar situation as last season when he had very limited attacking bench options against PSG.
Some seem to think we have too many options and are asking how Arteta will accomodate the likes of Havertz , Merino, Nwaneri etc which I suppose is a legitimate concern , but I would take them back to the prime wenger era when we had Henry, Bergkamp, wiltord, kanu and Jeffers along with top quality wide players in Pires, reyes, Ljungberg, parlour and wenger managed to keep them all happy, though of course winning trophies does wonders for keeping away any dissent from players or fans alike.
What i would say to any Arsenal fan concerned about what would be conceived as a bloated squad is why worry as surely it is better to have too many than too few players at the manager’s disposal, especially when you take into account the use of 5 subs these days , and in tight games it is more often than not the intelligent use of the bench which can be the deciding factor.
Hopefully the likes of Nwaneri and Max Dowman will be given game time, they are very young but very talented, Dowman’s game being compared to Odegaard is something of an insult to Dowman as their games are like chalk and cheese when it comes to taking risks with the ball , let’s hope Odegaard can put last season behind him as he was average at best and I’m sure he knows that unless he ups his game this season then Dowman and Nwaneri are ready to replace him and in all honesty will probably do a better job in regard to creating/scoring chances in the final third.
MA just makes it up as he goes along forgetting we fans have better memories than he does apparently.
Reality is we should have bought Olisse where his inclusion would have won us a PL trophy, especially if we had added a prolific striker instead of an aerially challenged giraffe, Chav reject who needs 3 gilt edged chances to score.
MA clearly didn’t fancy Emile was the way I remember it. Anyone see it differently?
Buying Eze now is 2 seasons too late to get the real elite 8 we needed. 11 seasons if you add Xhaka into the equation.
Better late than never, but as we’ve all concurred, all MA has done is create more pressure on his selection process if there is one outside of, “if you’re a pet, you are a starter”, as form doesn’t enter MA’s reckoning – only MA’s emperor’s new clothes syndrome.
As for this season?
MA’s PR spin doctors have already sown the seeds of doubt where it’s been reported that if Pool DON’t buy Issak, Arsenal is going to win the league.
There it is front and center before a 2025/2026 season ball is kicked in anger.
Guess we’ll find out in the coming 12 weeks where will have a firm picture of our chances by around beginning to end of November.
For me MA could well be fired by December after 6 years of being a professional loser.
So far this pre season has a different feel with all the top 6 clubs still adding tweaks to their squads and playing to win or at least stake a good claim for a starting berth.
Another interesting nugget online is Mbeumo was targeted by us, but preferred Manure even with no European football this season.
Didn’t want to play for MA like so many others.
I wish VG well but…………..
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/arsenal-eberechi-eze-transfer-arteta-35646241
“Eze has consistently dazzled throughout his time at Palace, ending last season with 25 goal contributions, including the winner in the club’s first FA Cup triumph. The attacking midfielder has donned the No. 10 shirt for most of his career, a squad number that Arsenal have not used since Arteta allowed Emile Smith Rowe to join Fulham for £34million last summer.
When previously asked if he was upset by Smith Rowe’s departure, the Arsenal boss confessed:
“A lot. When I had the talk with Emile, I really felt it. First of all because I have huge gratitude because he came into the team at a tough moment.”
“I think he was the player that made our supporters and the team click, in a way. I don’t know how to explain it but that was my feeling. Something changed when he came in the team. He created a different energy straight away.
“And I have a feeling like, ‘argh’, that I have not got the best out of him. Obviously a lot of things happened in that time.”
“From my side it was really sad, because I know how those boys feel when they are in that building, how hard everyone works to get them close to the first team, so I feel a huge responsibility to give them the chance. And now, can they sustain this level and make us better? That is the idea.”
A good dribbler of a football is a player who has like a sixth sense of knowing when he has the defender a fraction off balance and then leaves him for dead with quick feet and a drop of the shoulder.
Also to be a good dribbler of a football you have to be brave as defenders do not like to be made a mug of and will use whatever tactics (fair or foul) needed to stop you. Dowman showed he is as brave as they come against Newcastle as joelinton struck him across the face within seconds of coming on and all it did was spur him on to destroy Newcastle with his skill , intelligence and pace.
If you look at our other perceived dribblers in the side , no one compares to Dowman though Nwaneri definitely has the ability but he seemed to retreat into a shell and was reluctant to take risks with the ball .
We also have martinelli, trossard, saka and Odegaard ……saka is a very intelligent and skilful player without exceptional pace and knows his limits which is very important for a wide player, hence why his figures are so good .
Martinelli is a push and run type player but doesn’t have that sixth sense of being able to unbalance the defender which will always hold him back .
Trossard I would say is a poor man’s saka in that he has all the attributes of saka , scores goals and assists well but is a level below saka .
Like Tony, Olise is the player I’ve been calling for since his reading days, beats players with effortless ease and has a wicked cross , I am not at all surprised that he is a success at bayern.
Odegaard does a good job for the side generally but will only become a player who commits the defender if he becomes brave on the ball, at present he is a no risk type player who will shy away from the physicality of the game, that needs to change.
We now have Madueke who looks like a player who is prepared to take risks on the ball , this could create a problem for Arteta as a risk taker usually means they will concede possession at times and as we all know that with Arteta the game is all about control and that means maintaining possession of the football.
The question is , will we see a change in how Arteta sees the game, will he allow more risks from our wide players and playmaker, I’m not so sure that an open expansive game is in Arteta’s remit , we shall see.
Wicksy
Why are you talking about Dowman as if he’s a player who’ll be getting games next season? He’s 15, he looks like he’s got the ability to go all the way but at 15 he’s nowhere near being ready for regular first team football. The talk is he’s moving up to the under 21’s this season and he might get the odd bench appearance or minutes in early round cup matches but Arteta’s record with young players is piss poor.
Tell me have you already got the excuses ready for Arteta this season or do you make them up as you go along?
Dowman will go the same way as Smith Rowe under this moronic cunt in charge.
He needs a proper coach , who can make him reach his potential.
Martinelli was a an exciting prospect once, scoring a great goal against Chelsea once. Klopp used to have orgasms over him.
The parents must be as thick as mince to let this cunt be in charge of their destiny.
I would not let him anywhere near a dog , let alone a brilliant young prospect, like Dowman
Cunt.
He destroys talent and crashes the value of players.
He is like Ratners with the jewellery company
Patino
Remenber him?
Lewis Skelly was a prospect and yet the moronic cunt bought the mincing injury prone Italian instead.
Breaking news
The Italian cunt is injured already.
61 minutes in against Spuds in HK being one down with Spuds hitting the post twice in the first half.
Same shit different day football with us looking unbalanced and Spuds playing lively football.
Spuds win 1:0 says it all really. VG came on in the 77th minute and did similar to Havertz not really troubling Spuds’ defence.
See what he does in the next 2 games against Athletic and Villarreal.
Very disjointed from us.
On the Spud’s defeat MA said ambiguously, “we are ahead in other areas than I thought we’d be”
What I witnessed was an unfit version of last season’s play and tactics. Nothing new Zubi and Norlaand filling in for Partey. White looked vulnerable and Spuds knew where to restrict Skelly when he tucks in midfield.
The only real bright light was Dowman. The kid looks to have a higher ceiling than Ethan. At 15 he has the maturity of a 21 year old.
VG was unremarkable. Looked easy to marshal and never looked the £63M player in his cameo role. Certainly no better nor worse than our current superstar Havertz who was his usual poor crumbly grass hitting self like Bambi on ice.
Funniest moment was when a Spud player pushed MA away from the touch line out of his way to take the throw in. The 4th ref had to forcibly coral him……..Because……MA was outa his box again … Hmmmmmmm
I don’t know about all of you who read LIR, but I feel 2 yet to be decided transfers with have a bearing on the PL trophy and top 4 outcome if Sesco and Isak fulfill their potentials.
I read somewhere that MA is the most disliked manager in football, which I can relate to with his non-negotiables, and utter bollocks he spews in pressers, such as the post PSG semi in Paris or look at my last post for the post Spuds loss comments.
TRVL, Marc and I have talked about why elite players want to play for elite managers not specialists in failure, as MA has proven with his 85222 results, where the likelihood is we will fall further away from winning the PL this season with the way the top 6 are rebuilding.
This preseason seems to have a different edge to it where results DO matter, especially against teams’ most hated local rivals, such as us with Spuds.
Any loss against the Spuds hurts. Let’s not lose sight of that!
Plastic AKBs can and will always find excuses for their blind faith in their generational one, now in his 6th year having physically spent close to a £billion, on what will finally have some semblance of balance if we sign Eze and deploy him as our starting 8 with our ‘gung ho’ Ricehino wanna be at 6, where he plays his more natural elite defensive football.
He can still take free kicks and corners if he must, but I doubt we’ll see a RM CL repeat defending any time soon, if ever again.
Newcastle seem to not be favored too much by elite players either, which makes their Sesco needs in trouble because Amorim wants him, too, with Newcastle needing Sesco’s services far more if Issak forces his move to Pool who have allegedly bid £120m and completely turned Issak and his manager’s heads.
I think Sesco is more likely to move to Manure to link up with Mbeumo and who else Amorim buys, as I think Fenandes will leave now.
As was proven this pre season game Thomas Frank is already stamping his mark on the what seems to be his happy little spudettes. They won’t be challenging for the trophy, but could put in a run for a top 6 spot taking points off us we can ill afford to drop if we want to win the PL this season.
We have a very tough opening 12 weeks where we could easily drop 9 points or more and we have 17 days to prepare having had a very poor preseason thus far, where literally nothing has changed from last season.
As per usual our preseason is interrupted by not having a full squad training together. Late additions are just that: late! Arriving a game of so before the start of the season.
We have 2 games to rectify that: Villareal and Athletic Club before we travel to Manure to kick off our season, who by then I feel will have added Sesco and maybe 2 more players, so also won’t have had time to bed them in preseason.
We need Eze to beat Manure is my belief, someone who can do something different Amorin can’t plan for. I think VG will be well marshaled having played for Amorim before. He should know how to nullify his previous striker.
But that’s ok because we have Jesus and Havertz with Ricehino, right? That should put fear into Manure’s hearts and minds, no?
Leeds a home will be a bruising encounter, and then, we have Liverpool away with Frimpong, Kerkez, Wirtz, Ekitike who probably Issak will be partnering all managed by the current best manager in the PL and maybe Europe; certainly on par with Enrique at least.
Until we change MA to begin with, then stop buying low hanging fruit from the bargain basement, or players with financial agendas compared to their abilities, we are not going to attract elite players.
Newcastle are going to struggle to attract top players because of their location and club owners’ beliefs and laws are not popular with modern western thinking.
It’s going to be a brutally riveting season opening, and then ensuing 9+ months of what I hope is pulsating topsy turvy football if we stand any chance of CL football the following season.
To win the PL we need to be better than Pool, City, Chavs, and whichever club excels this season as there is always one or two like Villa and Forest last season who are up there looking for a CL birth and punching above their weight.
Think of the prize in this great song as a PL or CL trophy and not a woman.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY8B0uQpwZs
Am I excited about the new signings…. not really.
Would I have been excited if we had bought florian Wirtz and isak …100%..
Zubimendi is a very good player as is Partey , so I’m not sure the needle has moved there.
Madueke will probably be a replacement for trossard who is basically a utility player who can play anywhere along the front line, so I’m not sure the needle has moved there.
The new cb won’t move the needle , neither will kepa.
Gyokeres is a possibility but it will mean we will have to change our game to get the best out of him.
Against Tottenham we played a long ball game with the emphasis on winning the 2nd ball , a tactic that didn’t impress me. Will we use this tactic and play Havertz and Gyokeres close together with Gyokeres looking to benefit from Havertz flicking the ball on …this could work for a limited period but teams will soon come to terms with such a basic tactic.
There is a possibility that Arteta is being or trying to be clever by not playing in such a way now that will surprise the opposition when the season starts, though to be fair that is very doubtful, though our corners and free kicks have been very basic so there is an argument that we don’t want to show our hand in pre season, we shall see.
I would imagine that Amorin would employ Harry maguire against us if he believes we will play a long ball game, though in saying that our last 2 home friendlies against Spanish opposition will probably see us playing out from the back as the press won’t be so intense.
We do have a very difficult start to the season but we have done very well in recent years against the top 6 sides so don’t be surprised if Arteta starts the season with the tried an tested players .
Only Arteta could spend almost £200 million and not only be making excuses about being short of players but have the fans feeling meh about the start of the season.
Liverpool fans are going to be bouncing off the ceiling and that’s before they sign Isak.
ManU fans will be positive.
City fans will be expecting to at minimum challenge for the PL.
Even Spuddie’s will be in a positive frame of mind.
Hopefully the fanboys are waking up to Arteta’s lack of ability in all aspects of management other than excuse making. We must get Arteta out of the club this coming season before we see another top managerial candidate go to a rival.
Wicksy
Fair play mate. Some objective analysis there.
I’m going to wave an olive branch at you in a metaphorical, slightly effeminate sense. 🌿 For as long as you can avoid blowing unnecessary and unwarranted smoke up Mikel’s tight little hairy Basque culo this season, I will listen to and respect your views and will try to defend you when you (inevitably) piss off other members of our oecumenical congregation. How’s that for peace making in a time of global strife. Call me Mahatma Coat!
But stray from the truth young man, and I will strike you down in a biblically sized old testament pit of hell and damnation.🔥✝️🔥
There endeth the sermon.
Kroenke
Can’t make up my mind whether you’ve got religion or watched Pulp Fiction last night.
Hopefully it was Pulp Fiction.