Two more boring months without football and the transfer window isn’t much pleasing for any Arsenal fan!
Edu has got another rabbit out of a hat with his Brazil connection, Marquinhos joined us a week back from Sao Paulo in a 3 million bid. He is a wide forward and makes sense if we are moving Pepe. We also need a reliable back up to Saka, who was overplayed last season. Not to forget we will be playing mid-week this season in Europa and we need a reliable back up in every position.
Apart from Marquinhos, there has only been rumours and reports from the only trustable transfer source – Fabrizio Romano. It seems we have put up a €35m + add-ons bid for Fabio Vieira who plays for Porto. I’m not much familiar with the player but Porto finished at the top of Portuguese League, Vieira played in 27 of those 34 games and had 6 goals and 14 assists. Time will tell how much he can cope up with the intensity and physicality of premier league but it looks like a good signing if you judge on those numbers.
Fabrizio has also been reporting Arsenal interest in Youri Tielemans from Leicester and Raphina from Leeds. If you ask me my preference, I would pay few millions more to get Madisson instead but even Tielemans would improve our mediocre midfield which comprises of Xhaka, Elneny, Sambi and an mostly-injured Partey.
Raphina will be a pickle. It seems we only have enquired about players availability and yet to submit any formal bids. Leeds are very adamant about his valuation and I think we would leave it to the end when we count the money from selling out our dross.
Speaking of which, Fiorentina has decided not to trigger the buy option for Lucas Torreira. He would be returning to Arsenal and his contract would expire in 2023. We were expected to receive around 15m for him but that’s not happening anymore. I hate to say but Lucas was never a match to Premier League both physically and mentally and I hope he has a good time for last one year here at Arsenal.
There is another player in Matteo Guendouzi which could have seriously improved our midfield but he will be an OM player after meeting all the clauses .Arsenal will receive about €10, which is a shame if we are going to bid 35m+ for a Portuguese player with similar profile and output and same age.
On a different note, La Liga has filed a complaint to UEFA alleging financial fair play breach against Manchester City and PSG.
Personally I feel clubs shouldn’t be allowed unlimited money from certain owners just because they can. Players and clubs are selling their soul. Not only it artificially inflates the market, the gap between top clubs and the average ones keeps on widening. It’s such a shame that the amount of money Mbappe will receive in his 3 years contract is enough to buy couple of Premier League Clubs.
I will keep it for a detailed discussion for some other day but I hope UEFA does something to keep it fair.
Shout out to Rohit! for buying his first Arsenal jersey. I have managed to get Arsenal Football Club a fan here in India. He wanted a mention, we have been friends for more than 25 years and I couldn’t say no, so!
Fabio Vieira is a dead ringer for Daniel Ratcliffe aka A certain diminutive master magician Harry Potter.
Vieira oh oh
Vieira woh oh oh oh
He comes from Portugal
Harry Potter with a ball
I’ll get me coat.
Hahaha, that should be written up on Emirates walls. Hope he turns out to be a magician.
I have a feeling we will get a trusted & experienced midfielder too. I don’t think Arteta is that naive to pin his hopes on a 22 year one season wonder from Portuguese league and Xhaka.
I have no guesses for CF though.
Rohit
Big shout out to you mate from the sunny WC qualified People’s Republic of Wales. 😁Welcome to the Arsenal family. I’d love to say it’ll make you deliriously happy for the rest of your life but that would probably be a massive lie. Looking forward to reading your opinions as you steadily slide into obsessive insanity like those of us already on here. Buckle up and enjoy the ride mate.
Hi Ambarish
Just looked at one of those highlights compilations. His ‘bravery’ level = 5 out of 10 whatever that means. Looking on the bright side, it could mean he’ll only shit himself every second game. 💩
Only 3 out of 10 for being injury prone. That’ll soon be up at 9 or 10 I imagine after he makes Partey’s acquaintance. 🏥
KP
I’m sure no one in their right mind would bank on Vieira making headlines in his first season here. If he does that, that would be sexy.
Also, Arteta is dumb but not that much to not know he will be judged badly this season. Any signings that do not improve us NOW will have detrimental effect on our season and ultimately Arteta will have to answer that.
He can’t get away with a playing XI he had bought. Someone’s coming in that midfield ai have a feeling. I hope I’m not wrong.
A 22-year can turn out to be a Wilshere, or Sambi. We will know.
Regardless, I’m excited though for him. A 22year old attacking midfielder who can assist and score? I will take it anyday.
Ambarish
But like you said earlier, where is our new centre forward coming from? The Vieira signing could be good, but we need a proven big and technical, physical finisher up front. Until that person is secured, I’m still going to be struggling to summon up any kind of enthusiasm.
I know I’m boring everyone with the question but why when we’ve got by most reports severely limited funds are we looking to buy players from the PL the most expensive place to shop in football?
KP
Posted a msg for you in the No Time to Dye. After the satire I promptly watched the flick on Amazon Prime and it is OK, decent acting but I need more complex plots because I am getting the dumbed down one here at the Arsenal TW.
Thought Inception was brilliant acting and plot wise.
Best Fathers Day Ever. (18.06.22 In UK Times)
Super Rugby Payoff Final
08:05 Blues v Crusaders
English Premiership Playoff Final
15:00 Leicester Tigers v Saracens
United Rugby Championship Playoff Final
18:05 Stormers v Blue Bulls
France Top 4 Playoff Final
20:05 Montpellier Herault v Bordeaux Begles
There is a happy life after Arsenal has gone to shits under Arteta.
At this point there are at least 3 other EPL clubs in need of a CF, Chelsea, United and Newcastle. Where will AFC make a showing, no idea. But since every Arsenal fan and anyone else that follows the EPL knows we had 2 senior strikers leave and Eddie has yet to sign, so we are in the worst bargaining position imaginable.
They made an insulting offer for Osimhen which was promptly rejected and all the other prospective players are adopting a wait and see attitude on what other clubs are perhaps interested in my talent. Jesus will not readily commit unless he or his agents are aware of the fact that the other clubs, especially those with CL, are no longer interested. But it will be a shit show for the next 2 months plus.
Hi Killroy
Good stuff mate. It won’t take long to sink in that there is (a better) life after LG. I think a lot of people are rightly questioning whether he’s lost his mind. I no longer recognise him and some of the others as Arsenal fans any more. I had some great fun on there stretching my mind sometimes but it’s jumped the shark now.
That rugby sounds worth dipping into. Do you think the Tigers will beat Sarries?
Film-wise, I’m miles from decent cinemas these days. I think Hollywood at least is dictated to by market forces more than ever now because of dwindling numbers. Data showing audiences are mostly made up of older folk these days so guess what? Pack films with older actors doing old people shit. Helen Mirren, Al Pacino, Judy fucking Dench. All starring in carry on couponing, a crazy caper where a bunch of urbane ex socialites end up living in a trailer park and falling on hard times… til they find a procedure for making meth and De Niro, Samuel L Jackson and Julio Banderas come out of retirement to blast the fuck out of them with antique uzis and 18th century muskets. Hey, I could be into something there….
Talking of old bastards, I’m 58 tomorrow so I’ll be on the down low a bit. If we sign Gnabry and Osimhen by any chance I’m sure I’ll hear about it. It’s Ms Kphobe’s 55th as well. What are the chances of a couple having birthdays on the same day eh? 365 to 1 I suppose. The kids told their teachers we were twins because we shared a birthday! That took some explaining after I’d put my banjo down.
Want the Tigers to win if nothing else as to delay the Saracen’s black star from making an appearance. Even though I like some of their players. I will have life access to two of the games the URC final and the Premiership final. I have P2P access very shortly after the matches conclude. So by the time I wake up US EST the Super Rugby game should be posted on the Across the Tasman tracker. Will watch the other two matches live.
As far as movies is concerned you can tell from the P2P mentioning I am into filthy pirate mode often. Having a Home Theater with a 136″ screen and proper sound equipment, that is where I watch things. Amazon Prime is a steal for me with the prime video content. In the UK Amazon is muscling in to get EPL matches and other live sports events and they stream in 4k.
Haven’t been in a cinema in years. Usually get the aired content like MOTD & MOTD2 30 minutes after the program concludes. The P2P route has one additional advantage, ALL commercials/adverts are edited out. so a 60 minute TV show clocks in at 42-45 minutes in the US. Life is too short to waste nearly 20 minutes where marketing geniuses try to convince me to buy stuff I don’t need with money I don’t have to impress friends I don’t like.
Until later KP
Mb,
You’re spreading the Arsenal love,good man. Have to echo Kroenkephobe though,not sure you’re doing your mates a favour! Raphina,Guendouzi etc is an argument that covers one pretty obvious feature of Arteta’s reign,that being his inability and therefore refusal to handle players with attitude. My own take is that while many footballers are now multi millionaires before they’re even established and hence become arrogant,egotistical shits,the manager’s job is to get the best out of them,ie manage them. You can’t refuse to work with people just because you don’t like them. Half the pricks are pricks BECAUSE they know how good they are. Every top manager in the history of the game has found a way to placate his temperamental stars for the good of the team. The argument about creating a culture is only being put forward by people who never sat in a dressing room and realised the eclectic group of personalities required to form a successful team. As long as Arteta is here I fear we may never have all the tools required to be elite. But he can prove me wrong. God knows he has been given the time and money to do so. Would you back him though?
Kroenkephobe,
Regarding our chat yesterday about punditry and the blessed trinity of Brady,Giles and Dunphy( brilliantly anchored by the wonderful Bill O’Herlihy rip), here is a clip just after Keane was ousted from utd. Can you imagine this on MOTD? Dunphy later acknowledged that he was after having a few. As the saying goes,they just don’t make them like this anymore.
https://youtu.be/Prep4trYNj4
The Real Vieira Lynn,
Thanks. Mb is offering us all a chance to have a chat,groan or joke about Arsenal in the manner that all communication should take place,friendly,logical and at times impassioned. There will always be those who are angry with the world and take it out on others but so long as the blog owner is neither one of them or encouraging them,you’re good! Hope you comment here more often,I enjoyed your contributions on LG before you were red carded for your audacious questioning of the narrative……
Hear hear Almunia. TRVL and Killroy have both been carrying banner for real Arsenal fans over there. But you’re right – the vibe here is altogether better.
That clip was dynamite. I’d say Chippy had probably matched ED pint-for-pint in the green room before going on air, but Dunphy’s a wily and belligerent old bollix isn’t he. It was really weird though to see the normally loquacious Giles unable to get a word in. If I’d been Herlihy (is he an ex player too or just a professional TV presenter?) I’d have spoken to the producers straight after and demanded a doubling of my pay. They’re all really rude to him. Brilliant TV that shits all over MOTD you’re right.
ED doesn’t mention us but I seem to recall Arsenal being serious and credible bidders for Keano as well. I think he and GG would have just about tolerated each other and done well but Wenger would never have coped with him.
I’d love to know at some stage how he’s perceived these days in Ireland. A son of Cork right (?) but I guess he’s widely admired, not least for telling the awful Mick McM to ‘stick it up yer bollocks you English cunt’.
And blithely calling Niall Quinn a creep. Tip top TV.
As controversial as it may sound, I think Liverpool is making a big mistake of letting Mane go instead of Salah.
Mane was a better player for me than Salah.. what do you guys day?
I think it came down to a straight choice between Dalglish’s Blackburn with whom Keane had made an oral agreement and utd. If we were in the running it was as a distant third.
Keane supporters and man utd supporters are inseperable,even during the Saipan affair. Those of us who hated utd tended to hate Keane. Since his retirement many are prepared to acknowledge his brilliance as a player,but considering he is arguably Ireland’s greatest footballer,he will never be loved like Paul McGrath or Brady or Giles. Saipan is and always will be unforgivable for many.
You’d be surprised at just how popular big Mick is over here. Between being ‘captain fantastic’ at Italia 90 and a pretty successful manager also,many Irish people rate him highly. His no nonsense approach on the field and in interviews was very appealing to the Irish mentality!
Hi Ambarish
I don’t think it’s just wishful thinking on my part, but I expect Liverpool to be less of a force this season (meaning more of a one horse race in City’s favour). If one half of a very effective duo (Mane) leaves, it’ll inevitably harm the other half (Salah). That, added to a damp squib end to the season and the unknown quantity and different type of player that is Nunez, I suspect they won’t hit the same heights. I think at this stage the title is as good as City’s.
If you’re looking for a topic, what about the publication of yesterday’s PL fixtures. I think we’ve got a pretty good start, although paranoid Pedro Attwood would surely disagree.
Mane had the better season Mb,no doubt about it. But Salah was far better in the previous two. There are three factors we’re not privy to. The first was contract negotiations, were they willing to sign,how much did they want,for how long etc. Secondly fitness. Do Liverpool feel Mane could soon fall off a cliff ala Torres? Thirdly,personality. Were they getting on with each other,they always seemed close to an argument to me. We’re they getting on with Klopp?
Tell you what though Mb,no one player
is going to produce for Liverpool next season what Mane did last year.
Almunia
Totally agree with your assessment of what has to be in a managers locker. On the ESPN-FC show Craig Burley made this comment that stuck with me.
“In today’s football world a manager has to be part psychologist as he has to figure our what the different players need to be comforted, feeling loved and belonging to the team in order to get the best out of the player.”
This skill is not in Arteta’s toolbox so we are truly screwed as he goes on devaluing players.
Almunia
Fair play mate. I don’t think we’ve ever disagreed about anything. But this about Mick McM.
and a pretty successful manager
Is a tough one to take for a Cardiff fan (although I accept he did at certain places and for the national team before that) . I think taking on the Bluebirds was a job too far. His methods were way out of kilter by the time he got to Wales. 80s football played 35 years later in an even worse and more negative fashion. He lost the players (even beanpole striker Kieffer Moore who got loads, albeit really terrible, service by way of hoofing it from the back into the channel). I also thought he got a rough deal in Saipan – it was just the comedy gold in Keano’s quote and I don’t recall Mick speaking out about it at the time. For Ireland supporters it was probably a nightmare.
Anyway, good luck to the guy. He certainly had honesty as a virtue.
Kroenkephobe,
McCarthy was a perfect international manager for a small nation. It’s all about results. And he got them. But boy the football wouldn’t inspire. As a club manager where people are forking out Big money to watch on a bi weekly basis I’d imagine he was infuriating, unless the sole aim was to survive!
Just my take on Pool’s signing. They are clearly building for the future and the next attacking formation and may forgo next season’s title challenge in order to be a force for years to come.
Nunez, Dias, Jotta are clearly being groomed for the next front line. Smart move to find out when to sell a player, still having value and bringing in a top class talent that will be part of the club for years to come.
This is what AFC is missing having a squad that ONLY needs season in season out tweaking rather than rebuilds. Klopp as one of the best managers in the world is capable of doing just that.
Killroy,
And that’s why I don’t think he’ll make it anywhere with real ambitions because those elite players come with serious egos. Even as I was saying to Mb, can you imagine the work Klopp has had to put in over the years keeping all those attackers happy both as individuals and as partnerships? Now Arteta is young in managerial terms and may learn but a club of our size should never have been his to experiment with.
KP
I feel the same. Mane was doing the dirty work and it’s going to take quite some time for any player to get used to Premier League. We have seen big names failing e.g. Lukaku, Werner, Bruno (minus first season), Sancho etc and there is no guarantee Nunez will have a big impact in his first season.
Almunia
Mane had altercation with Salah and Klopp even, at some point of time. It looks like more of a Ozil/ Sanchez conundrum we had earlier, they can only afford to pay one and thry felt it necessary to keep Salah.
Salah is a bigger brand too, and Klopp simply loves him.
Killroy – that was right on point. Klopp has a very clear philosophy, he is re-doing his team and Arteta could have learnt some things from him.
I think Pep makes it more complicated with strategies and Klopps just stick to his principal..
We even have a term for it in IT..
KISS – keep it simple, stupid! And works often.
I have come with comparative illustration. Managers of football clubs are like grand masters in Chess they know how to move the pieces (players) on the board (pitch). Arteta just played his 3rd game of chess coming from the background of playing Checkers and thinks he is a grand master knowing how the players are needing to be moved about. Delusional!!!