I echo putting out the welcoming mat for Kai and Declan and even more so that Mikel has got his men where any excuses for next season issues won’t be accepted in this quarter.
I agree Timber shores up our RB/RCB with White nicely. White tends to run out of gas after 60 minutes at RB, so I can see some rotation for RB but only when Saliba needs a rest to play CB.
It’s not the numbers so much but the lack of negotiating nous that played into Sullivan and Brady’s hands as the controlled the leverage and we have Declan to blame for that. He could have stepped in earlier to seal the deal, but his loyalty was to West Ham: I hope the lad shows us the same courtesy when and if he moves on. I believe he will.
Can Declan become Mr. Arsenal? If the price is anything to go by, then yes he will, as our most expensive player. I also don’t think the pressure of his price will bother him; how Arteta tries to use him might, though. Junior and I watched him quite a bit last season and he can pivot into 8/10 when he makes his runs from our half, but he’s ungainly in his stride and not fleet of foot, as one needs to be in that position – more Xhaka like than say ESR or Trossard who both defend well when needed.
We no longer need Holding with Rice also being a CB. It’s easier to see how Rice is going to be employed at 6 but how does Kai fit into Mikel’s intricate jigsaw puzzle of plays?
I don’t see KH as an 8, but a 10 back up, yes. False 9 and 9 yes he can play, and he has enough pace to go wide left when interchanging with our attack. Kai has the requisite technical skills to be successful in the opposition’s final third, but expect Pepe’s levels of defending, as Kai doesn’t like the physicality of defending and another Ozil like cupcake.
Mikel said he has five roles for Kai, so he’s going to be busy and probably confused. Kai also needs to toughen up and add a bit of bulk to his overall muscular frame although he looks like an ectomorph to me, so very difficult for him to add muscle. Mikel loves to play his shiny new toys, so I would hate Kai to be in front of ESR, and I hope Emile has a great pre-season. ESR is better than Havertz just younger and needs regular minutes to shine.
If we get Timber then we need to address the LB cover for KT and buy Lavia as MF back up or buy similar. Vieira needs to go out on a PL/Championship loan and be judged on that next summer. All in all the window is being kind to us and CL football is a magnet to quality footballers. Will we be stronger at the end of the window? That depends on the outgoings and who else after Timber A&E bring in.
I hope lessons were learnt by Mr. Lewis/Edu and Mr. Garlick. Never negotiate without leverage and a sound strategy, and next season is already looking like it’s shaping up for Mikel & Edu.
I’d say this coming season is all or nothing for Edu & Mikel – sink or swim?
Tony-you would be wise to reconsider your french countryside relocation plans, or at least put them on hold for the time being, until you see how the present flared tempers shake-out…it appears as if their demographic/geographic errors of the past are coming home to roost once again, which is an all-too-familiar refrain for many countries with highly nuanced yet unresolved diversity issues across much of western Europe…maybe you should consider a bordering countryside just beyond the Maginot Line
as to our previous discussions regarding MA’s maddening propensity to offer up ludicrous wage packages, in an almost Oprah-like fashion, beware of anyone who tells you it’s a “you” problem and not a him problem…whenever I hear someone throw out that old AKB “hope we fail” trope, it sends up an immediate red flag…it’s another classic cake and eat it too attempt by those who have once again chosen to side with the manager regardless if his decisions are in the best interests of the greater good of the club as a whole…it suggests that they’re blind allegiance somehow affords them the right to both determine the criteria for player assessment, like with Havertz visa vie his current wages, and to high horse anyone who has logical questioned any managerial maneuvers, both past and present…need I remind everyone that the only reason the whole “hope we fail” narrative even came to be was that many of these same former AKBers religiously backed our previous manager who oft-times only went to market when periods of bad form forced his hand
Tony-no need to worry about Marc & KP in Xhaka’s regards, it’s me that wll go full fucking ham if our Swiss albatross dons the kit again…MA needs to learn a few valuable lessons from managerial giants like Klopp, who rectified his midfielder mistakes in quick fashion this window by parting ways with his more antiquated and insufficient options, like Milner and Keita, and acquiring two highly coveted replacements in Mac Allistar and Szoboszlai, for less than our pending Rice transfer
logically questioned
If Xhaka stays will I be surprised – no its Arteta all over and why he will always fall short.
Disappointed he’ll still be here yes but I’m not sure I ever believed he was ever leaving.
(I wrote this when your article was first posted but I crashed before finishing it, then it simply slipped my mind)
Not sure if it’s Sink or Swim quite yet, but it’s pretty fucking close, especially if there’s any truth to the wages being bandied about…there’s simply no way we can afford to bankroll this top heavy squad unless we snag some major hardware this season and next…now I fully understand the need to make a statement purchase or two this off-season, in order to overturn our longtime pretender status, so I’m certainly not opposed to a hefty financial outlay as long as two logical conditions were met…firstly, that the money be spent well, which means that any big money moves properly addressed our most pressing needs and secondly, that the acquisitions made didn’t hinder our ability to properly reinforce in this and/or future windows
it’s clear that MA’s stickler tendencies, when it comes to overplaying his perceived best 11, have been on full display in this window…so far we haven’t really redressed our depth issues, as Rice and Havertz will invariably replace Partey and Xhaka in the starting 11…now Timber appears to be a bit of a different story, in that I’m assuming that he’s coming in to provide some higher-end cover in a couple different positions…some might see this particular purchase as an overreaction to our late season stumbles, following Saliba’s back injury, in that the size of this investment might not be justified with White and Tomi still rostered and a re-upped Saliba on the mend…personally, I’m not too perturbed unless it somehow prevents us from shiping Xhaka once and for all
in the end, in order to properly progress, it can’t just be about our starting 11…presently, minus our backline, should Timber come and Tierney stay, we only have a few viable cover pieces elsewhere….besides ESR and maybe Tross, who I still don’t view as a like-for-like secondary Marts option, we have a rather bang average bench…now if we can count on a similar financial approach for the foreseeable future, then it might be a moot point, but not if we use the next bag to once again replace starters that MA no longer favours…at some point, we need to properly develop and promote academy pieces and/or revise our transactional practice…after all, if you’re a manager who’s averse to tactical changes and wholikewise finds it inherently diffcult to properly rotate, you better have proper backups should injuries occur
all that said, I did feel that it was pertinent to pursue “big” purchases this off-season in order to maintain or exceed our position in the standings, but that doesn’t mean I fully embrace the choices being made…only time will tell, but I would suggest that we’re already up against it a bit based solely on MA’s massive investment in a player who has coin toss proposition written all over him…if it were up to me I would have targeted Caicedo, Barella and Simons, who all possess endless energy and positional flexibility, then I would have scoured the globe for some cheaper cover options, as that’s why we pay Edu et al the big bucks Cheers
Marc-agreed, not surprising whatsoever but incredibly disappointing nonetheless
TRVL
Thanks for the advice and to be honest I’m the type to rush where fools fear to read relying on natural instincts and sound decision making to be ahead of the competition. Most paid off, but I got burnt a few times along the way. With the sums and my family all involved, then their safety comes first.
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A quick view of using Samui to Phuket/BKK as a project setting came to an abrupt halt when I looked at wanting to test the Genelec 8381A Point Source studio monitor at US$70k a pair and was told not in Thailand. How easily I forgot the nightmares of building my Room here.
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I agree with your thoughts and feel Mikel has cahonas the size of at least cricket balls taking the gambles he is, so I doubt if Xhaka or Partey are leaving this window: January maybe if it’s all going swimmingly for A&E by January.
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Approx 6 weeks to Forrest at home. Can’t come quick enough for me.
Forest*
Has Saliba actually signed the new contract? I saw something the other day that indicated he hadn’t- agreeing in principle is not the same thing.
If no the links to Timber are a little worrying.
Marc-I questioned that too, but it appears as if the “official” signing will take place this week, now that Saliba is back from his vacation period…of course, you just never know, as this club loves to fabricate the shit out of things whenever it works best for them…weirdly enough, I read a story about how the club wanted to announce 4 signings this week, with 2 of them being Saliba and Nelson, but there was some concern about it happening because supposedly Nelson went rogue and won’t return their texts/calls…probably total bullshit, but we know his head was at least partially turned by AC’s supposed interest, so anything is possible
This was posted on SKY today by Football Finance expert Kieran Maguire:
“Arsenal are actually in a very strong position when it comes to spending,” he told Sky Sports News.
“The reason for that is they have managed to get their wages under control.
“Arsenal’s wages are lower than they were in 2018. They are £150m to a £170m less than Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City. That has given them the flexibility to go into the market and buy new players without having to worry too much.
“Plus, they have got the additional benefits of Champions League matches coming in, premium prices and the minimum I would say prize money of £50m from being participants.
“So, you factor that all together and they’ve probably still got a bit of leeway in terms of what they can spend over this present window.”
When asked if there’s been a strategy change at Arsenal, he added: “Yes. They had a retrenchment. They went through some fallow years when they weren’t qualifying for the Champions League.
“They have managed to get rid of high earners, the likes of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang off that payroll, and that has given them the ability to now go into the market and be very competitive and try to match other clubs.
“Arsenal used to be known as the Bank of England club. They’ve always been well run financially, and I think this change in terms of spending is a reward for Mikel Arteta in terms of his ability to get them into those Champions League places again, which means so much in terms of enhanced revenue.”
nothing too revelatory here, but it does speak to why we’re offering up rather sizeable wage packages to everyone and their brother…obviously our wage bill will be significantly higher this season and next, regardless of whomever we get off the books
on a side note, there was some chatter today suggesting that we might sell Marquinhos, which seems like another incredibly short-sighted decision…hopefully it’s another baseless rumour
As an aside to our transfer window.
It seems like week by week the average age of the Saudi league drops. Brozovic Jota, Gerrard, in addition to the big names already coming in. Talk of De Gea going over and he’s young for a keeper. Despite his clangers, his numbers are still good.
And the thing is, outside our bubble, people are treating this league like it’s a legit league.
Tets and Edu might be missing a trick in not attempting to flog some of our peripherals over there. It’ll be bad for football long term but who couldn’t say no to recouping half the Pepe fee or 40mill for Elneny? I’m sure he’d go down a storm as much as Koulibaly amongst KSA’s faithful. Possibly pushing it here, but maybe even big fees for Holding and Xhaka beckon.
Mashallah!
Re the riots in France, it’s not a question of ‘solving’ the diversity issue.
France isn’t an easy place for non white, statistically. Perhaps solving the racism problem and resulting social exclusion would be a better place to start. People who are marginalised can have less to lose disengaging with the mainstream and may also recognise that engaging is an uphill struggle with the odds stacked against them making disengagement a more rational choice than it would be for those of us living under different rules so to speak.
People who the system works for often miss the point, blaming the marginalised community rather than the society that marginalised them in the first place. If we’re honest, most of the ‘diversity’ has been mere tolerance at best but mostly, admittedly, slow levels of increasing acceptance. Demonstrated by commenters on here, in 2023, viewing diversity as something to be ‘managed’ ahead of discrimination. It’s really not difficult to not be freaked over people of different backgrounds. But for most of my lifetime many people in the global minority find it taxing.
Move to France Tone, it’s lovely on the whole. White French can be bloody racist but that shouldn’t affect you.
Aitcho
Thanks for both illuminating posts.
I totally agree with your marginalizing views. Some of the most enjoyable conversations in the USA have been with native indians. An 80year old Hopi in their tribal shop high up in the Palm Springs made me an amulet telling me to come back an see him to get it. It cost £300 with ornate silver and gold designs that are matching for each side bringing stability. It’s very heavy and when I had it valued for insurance it was valued in 96 at £1200.
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Being an underdog rising out of orphanages I am naturally sympathetic to real people causes and my family isn’t white; they are Thai and half Thai. Junior and my daughter are the linguists in my family, so would be on a charming offensive from day one; both being seriously likable in opposite ways.
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Keeping it music for the moment; the same native Indians introduced me to Robbie Robertson who often plays with native musicians: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX66jEixZe1wrJxYALU_p92hzuF_Eb0cj I knew Robbie from The Band, this was new to me.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkHoSUy12ok (It’s a good day to die) The CD is different and are great talking points with very cool people.
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Mrs T is in Europe in meetings this week where the outcome will dictate the time line for our move from Thailand. She’s asked me to continue researching France much to my surprise. Music is a great leveler, brings people together and we’ll be making plenty of that in 3 studios. One of the first projects I wanted to find is a very cool ethnic French rapper with melody. Bob’s son has great songwriting potential, too.
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We’ll see over the next 48 months and I’ll take a trip there to test the landscape and people.
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As for our TW? It’s the same deal – wait and see.
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Always enjoy your posts Aicho
2 tracks from Robbie
one solo – Somewhere Down The Lazy River,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KP9PNSUME4
one from The band – The Weight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vElZF9K06e0
Enjoy
For music lovers The Alan Parsons Project between 75 and 90 is a very deep thinking musician on similar Pink Floyds unique paths of music development.
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The first track Sirius is typical of the style of melodies somewhat reminiscent of Jean Michelle Jarre and Mike Oldfield who are now being followed by Schiller.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBKxIGGlK88 – Sirius
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow3cDKwIiMg – Old & Wise
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Even in simple melodies Alan Parsons immerses people in his music in a good way.
What a buzz it would have been to have mixed that last track live – Alan Parsons was the band after Floyd I would have loved to have mixed live.
sorry – Aitcho*
TRVL
Don’t know if this belt will tempt you to watch. I like AV a good honest fighter who moved from Aussi rugby league to MMA when he retired from rugby. Guy won’t take no for an answer and is hard to hurt with little neck. Yair might just be the guy to sit AV down and turn his lights out.
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Got my attention. I watched Benoit St Denis (ex special forces) dispatch his next upgrade opponent in the first round. He’s rough round the edges in MMA skills but is a future champion. Morales also good on that card.
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For me it’s not really the knocking out but it’s watching the various martial arts at such elite levels for the top 15s. Junior wants to learn Krav Maga when we move from Thailand. He’s at uni. 6′ 1″ at 14 and filling out with 3 times a week in our gym. Goes in at 5:30am, as it’s the only time he’s free. He’s hoping for 6′ 4″ who’s Mrs T’s brother’s height. Mrs T is 160cm and a ferocious free style who was trained by a young champ kick boxer for 3 years.
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Junior is going to be about 85kg at 6′ 4″ at around 8 to 10% body fat. He’s already a red/black belt in Tai Kwon Do, which is as high as he can go until 16. Green in Ju Jujitsu, but he’s really interested in Krav Maga.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/mma/article-12258745/UFC-Yair-Rodriguez-unpredictability-giving-Alexander-Volkanovski-sleepless-nights.html
Apparently LB Tavares wants to stay returning from an unremarkable loan with Marseilles where his temperament was called into question again. The kid doesn’t help himself and lets his emotions affect his game and as a person dealing with an incredibly tough sport to be successful in.
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Where I find this going all Pete Tong is Zinchenko is considered a better left back than Tavares. A top 6 LB Zinchenko is not and even questionable as an 8.
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If it were me, they’d be both up for sale ala Chavs. If Messrs Garlick and Lewes are busy with Timber and Rice, shouldn’t Edu be conducting a fire sale with everything must go to free up the obscene wages we’ve been merely dishing out overselling the club again.
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Something else I find strange that Martinelli was not an Edu find and buy. Don’t know about Marquinos? Rumor is we want to offload him, so what does Edu really bring to the table in terms of south American talent, as Tony Bloom and other top clubs seem to be looking at several players?
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It seems Edu is crap at picking Portugal talent as well if Viera is anything to go by! Jorge Schmadtke Pool’s head of football seems a much better fit than Edu is with Arteta and us. Then again it’s hard to know who is the boss between Edu an Arteta?
See Marco Van Baston being one of football’s Goats as a striker, but only ever managed in Holland, is trying to advise Timber to stay one more year at Ajax, such is the ex Ajax’s manager’s agenda.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-league-player-rape-bail-30383963
Just wondering?
Tony
Pretty sure there’s nothing to wonder about and why we’re looking at 2 CM’s this summer.
Marc
That was my take, too. What has Arteta got against Caicedo? So what if the kid is ambitious, he’d give us a few seasons, and if he wanted RM after, then we got what we needed from him and him us: win, win. plus we make profit.
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if slime ball SMS Sullivan now wants a % for any sell on, then he’s taking the piss. I could never see Rice being sold for the huge overpay we’ve just agreed for him. It’s 5 foot nothing Sullivan’s last chance to make a big sale in his lifetime, so he’s milking it.
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It’s our fault for leaving holes by our negotiators for Sullivan to keep wanting more. I’d tell the little cnut to fcuk off on August 31st at 23:59 and see how he likes it. In the meantime go buy Caicedo and buy Onana as our 6.
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Rice aint that good compared to his price. It’s not rocket science, is it? We just make it to be that way.
Tony,
Whilst Arsenal fans will be pissed off if the purchase fall through West Ham will be stuffed. Their Captain whose contract is now running down will be fuming he wasn’t allowed to go and could easily look to wind his contract down. They would also have taken the heat out of trying to push his price up. Any club coming in now will say Arsenal are out of the equation so less competition for his signature.
No way it’s falling through, both sides want it done. This is just about the final haggle where thankfully there is no third party chasing the player too.
‘What has Arteta got against Caceido?’. That he prefers what Rice will be able to bring to the table. We clearly wanted him but sometimes it’s about timing. Not sure when Havertz was a plan but with Timber looking likely that’s £200m. Much as I’d love to see Tchouamani, I think that’s just part of the final negotiation with Sullivan.
Sounds like the timetable for payments has been agreed. Rice on the .com menu this week.
Just venting a bit, Bob.
Today’s first round of discussions looks like interest is strong for us, but timeline around December and a derisory offer to start proceedings. This is going to be a marathon and complicated.
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Not unexpected, but that is the way with corporate negotiations and different agendas from both sides.
Tony-I’ve always been a big fan of Krav Maga as it combines a variety of different techniques (judo, karate, wrestling, boxing etc…), but it’s real-world applicability has always worried me if placed in the wrong hands, so to speak…is Junior planning on finding employment which would require him to engage in hand-to-hand combat on a fairly regular basis?…with his height I would maybe suggest Muay Thai and/or kickboxing, for flexibility and core strength purposes, with a little BJJ on the side…the latter of which will provide him with some very useful defensive techniques when on his back, which is absolutely crucial whenever one uses their feet as a primary attacking weapon…I’m sure you and he know all of this anyways…Cheers
‘Derisory offer’ I suppose = opening position. Hope they’re not tyre kickers! Sounds promising….