Well, it seems like we have managed to tie down WIlliam Saliba till 2027 for now. Ornstein broke the news about the agreement and it’s going to be a 4 year deal. Saliba has moved on from the one of the best talents to one of the best defenders in the world, and it was very important to not let him go.
So, Edu and the club has managed to tie down Ramsdale, Saka, Martinelli, Gabriel and Saliba, and we are sure Odegaard is not going anywhere too. That’s 6 of the important players from our playing XI. Good job from whoever is involved. We don’t let go the best of our players.
Criticize Edu and Mikel for everything but they have managed to keep the important players. You may argue that we are paying over the odds for likes of 21-year olds, but I am looking to win things even if it means we overpay.
Rice will cost us a whooping 80m+ and will demand a salary of 200k+/week at minimum. He plays for a mid-table team who was fighting a relegation battle for the whole season. Do you expect the likes of Saka and Martinelli, who are probably the best in their places in premier league satisfied with anything less than that? It’s not like we are paying huge money for the has-beens and retiring people (like Willian?).
Credit where it’s due. We have 4 years of no worries in 6 places. We have the RB and LB sorted already. Jesus came in last season and we tied down Nketiah too. It’s the midfield which is a worry, but if we are bringing players, we would have a very stable team, where you don’t have to think for at least next 2 years (that’s when these players have 2 years left on the contract and you decide whether to cash out or offer them some more money).
We are in good place. Hopefully we will sort out the midfield this season, pick ourselves up for the fights at two fronts and win something. I’m going to very specific with my demand as a fan – win Premier League and have a good run in Champions League and I will be happy.
It’s not too much of a ask when we stayed on top of the table for like 90% of the season. It’s not too much when it wasn’t City who won it from us, but we gave it to them. It’s not much when Arteta is in his 4th full season, having spent in the north of half a billion and have a team of his own.
Short one today, hope you are having a nice weekend!
KP-the muxic in question was a live recording from the Fillmore by the pre-Abracadabra Steve Miller, who was far more bluesy during the band’s more formative years in the mid to late 60s
btw sweet Dusk to Dawn vid featuring Chong’s former Corsican brother…how can I ever forget Selma Hayek’s striptease scene…even now it makes me shudder to think
btw many were completely unaware that, like myself, Tommy was Canadian, so he was held in even higher regards in my neck of the woods…during that time period he was touring in a one-man show called The Marijuana-Logues, as an obvious play on the Vagina Monologues…some 2 years later I saw he and Cheech perform at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, where they were the headliners and one of my favourite bands, Kings of Leon, were one of several opening acts, which likewise included the Whigs(check out their best song “Right Hand on my Heart”) Cheers
the music in question…
not sure if I want to extend more treble kudos in United’s general direction, even though I obviously understand why some might choose otherwise…I would go as far to suggest that United enjoyed some advantages that could be considered as, if not more, important than the financial ones City presently enjoys…there have been several teams who have tried and failed to buy their way into a treble winning season, or anything close, whereas there was a time when United seemed to hold some clear recruitment and officiating advantages which could have been deemed even more crucial in the grand scheme of things
now if some hack of a manager was patrolling the Etihad sidelines and he had seemingly every top player in world football at his disposal, then I would have a vastly differing opinion, but this clearly isn’t the case…it appears to me as if the Grealish 100+M acquisiton inflamed matters, likely due to some deeply ingrained prejudicial concerns which were bubbling under the surface, as this really wasn’t an issue of such preeminent importance in years prior, except for those following Wenger’s lead
don’t get me wrong, I understand the frustrations of others, especially those coming from teams/fanbases who’ve never had the proper backing or even a brush with greatness, but it’s a bit disingenuous when it comes from those who don’t fit in that aforementioned narrative…no one of any import said sweet fuck-all, except the agendized Wenger, when the lack of adherence to the FFP rules allowed others to skirt the system and win subsequent titles…in fact, I can never remember a more agregious period of player acquisitions than last year when Chelsea went on an unprecendented buying spree, which didn’t cause near the uproar, likely because things went pear-shaped…as such, it gives the not so ludicrous impression that organizational jealousy might be the driving force
like I’ve said before, when you really look closely at City’s squad it’s never been a who’s who of megastars, minus the odd period when they had a rather ecclectic lineup of internationally well-known players, but even then they didn’t dominate abroad…frankly I don’t want to see them severely punished then have to witness a year or two of champions with asteriks firmly attached to their accomplishments…let’s face it, when you closely examine this year with a commonsensical lense, we had everything squarely within our hands and if we handled our business they could have done nothing to upset our very attainable title run, but we cocked things up and that had nothing whatsoever to do with their financial wherewithal…furthermore, every top team, regardless of root of their respective monied interests, have employed questionnable financal practices, whether it be Real, Barca, PSG, Juve, Milan and even Bayern, and if we get carried away with the punishment we will undoubtedly usher in the Super League era, which would be a crying shame
I just want to state unequivocally that if it were up to me no single individual would ever own more than 49% of any club and that the remaining 51% would be owned by members from within each respective fanbase, but I’m well-aware that this ship has sailed, at least at the highest levels of football….there are a few similar models which have thrived, like at Real or with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, but they’re few and far between
Morning all
Yesterday was one of those days where so much was going on; little actually got done but the groundwork is there more now.
Apologies TRVL I read your baked differently to how you meant it.
KP
It seems we can’t get the French book delivered to the Uk or Thailand from Amazon. Thailand, I understand, but the UK is just bizarre. I’ll write the the publisher and get it sorted.
Fortunately, I have plenty to do this TW in designing studio internals to begin with.
Almunia
Always happy to read your thoughts when you comment them to print. 🙂
I see Berlusconi has passed. I hope they don’t intend to cremate him,it would be an environmental disaster.
On a serious note,that Milan team with the Dutch trio will remain one of my all time favourite teams. Simply brilliant. No wonder the Milan fans loved him as an owner.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/jun/07/mirek-topolanek-czech-naked-photo
Hi Almunia
Nice one. There’d be a burning cloud of plastic and formaldehyde stretching across Europe were he to be cremated.
A hagiography about as classy as the man deserved.
My memory of Bunga Bunga Berlusconi (the erstwhile cruise ship crooner) forced me to dredge up the above story of his dealing with a tumescent czech politician. Italy’s answer to Jimmy Saville and Boris Johnson. He certainly lived la dolce vita.
Maybe that’s where Saliba and his mates got the idea from a few years ago.
KP,
I was only showing a picture of him to my wife a few months ago,we were talking about plastic surgery and celebs. She reckoned he was the worst she’d seen. He must have been afraid to go near a hot bath or sauna. I’d imagine a biography would be jaw dropping all the same. Father Time always wins,but some people push him harder than others!
until we make some fairly significant changes to the way in which we conduct ourselves from both a tactical and transactional capacity our club won’t have a substantive impact on the European footballing landscape…our rather rudimentary managerial ways mixed with our amateur hour transfer practices will never cut it on the big stage…as such, if we don’t get this particular window spot-on a regression will be forthcoming…of course, I’m not suggesting that the drop-off will be drastic, but top 4/Wenger Cup talk will once again become our predominant narrative
Hi Almunia
If there was a large financial award for butchered plastic surgery among money grubbing male celebrities, I think Mickey Rourke, Pete Burns, Jacko (rest in purgatory) , and the soon-to-be behind bars POTUS Mr Donald orange-faced-bastard Trump would hotly contest Ms Almunia’s judgment.
Fancy doing a top 5 yourself? Or – a bit closer to home – the 5 ugliest ever Arsenal players? I’ll get thinking on mine in the meantime.
Hope you’re well mate. I guess the exam season is nearly over where you are too. The twins are walking around the house with faces like thunder, leading me to conclude their own exams have not gone well. An even worse time to be around young uns!
TRVL
Not as extreme as Chelsea but Arsenal has always been a Tory party club in my opinion. The opposite of clubs like Liverpool, Manure Newcastle and Cardiff.
Imagine Hill-Wood, the gun-toting Kroenke senior and the old board discussing blood sports, shrinking the state and blaming society’s ills on single mothers over cigars and vintage port… Not hard is it.
To that extent, our miserable record in games outside of England mirror their political thinking ie the club is chronically euro sceptic. It must be 30 years since Parma in the Parken.
Paul Dickov wheeled out on Sky as a totemic City star of the past. He’s a fucking Arsenal man (and a decent Trossard lookalike)!
KP,
Yeah,exam season in full bloom,couple of weeks left before I get to put the feet up for the summer,can’t wait. How about yourself? Any free time coming up? Hols with kids aren’t stress free but they are still preferable to the mundane.
I’ll skip straight to the Arsenal players,my knowledge of celebs is pathetic. Joint top is Almunia,his hair,his stupid expressions after his mistakes,drove me mad. Equally galling in a visual sense was Gervinho,wtf was going on with his hair? You’re a footballing millionaire man,go to a barber and sort it. In third place I’m going to put Franny Jeffers. Look at his face and immediately you’d know he was a scouser,say no more. Fourth,John Hartson, he looked like he had spent his career in rugby league. And finally I always found John Jensen’s face extremely annoying. Maybe it’s just because he was such an uninspiring player. Harsh, I know,but they’re my five.
KP-Mickey Rourke hands down…love the boardroom imagery…Squid Game, behind the glass, meets the head table at the Red Wedding…old world ragged with a dollup of entitled cuntiness
I really don’t think Chelsea are that far off, once they clear out the non-believers and the contract rich hangers-on…when the smoke clears Poch will have the makings of a future juggernaut, with the likes of Nkunku, Enzo, Fofana, James, Mudryk, Madueke, Chukwuemeka, a couple teneable short-term CBs and likely Caicedo and Onana coming(not to mention Poch is pushing hard to keep Mount)…they clearly have the monies, they just need to reign the new owner in a bit…I would rather have that problem than the reverse, as our absentee landlord is oft-times the reason why everything moves at such a snail’s fucking pace
Kroenke
Peter Hill-Woods go to newspaper was the Daily Mirror if my memory serves me correctly.
Its hardly a right leaning newspaper.
Marc
I think PHW would have folded up the sports pages as firmly as possibly and used it as an impromptu wedge to remove some regal dangle berries from his double barreled derriere. After that he’d sit on a gold plated ceramic throne reading the Daily Telegraph, defecating foie gras profusely and accidentally letting hot cigar ash drop onto his greying pubes before pulling his ‘o’ face.
5 pig ugly alternatives coming up after I’ve had my dinner. I knew you’d instantly get the best ones.
TRVL
You may well be right about Chelsea, but the step before the rebuild is a pretty formidable one, ie the purge of the current squad. Auba, Lukaku, Kante, Mendy the list goes on.
KP-by the sounds of things Kante’s gone on a free to the Saudi league, Lukaku might remain in Inter as part of the Onana Keeper transfer and Auba will likely return to Barca with a subsidized contract or will follow Kante to the Middle East…I think their biggest hurdle, in light of their willingness to pay their way out of trouble, is how quickly they solve their longtime Striker concerns…maybe it’s the returning Broja, but I would suspect that this might be the most logical landing spot for Osimhen