Playing Football The Arsenal Way
A magnificent night of football at The Emirates stadium ended with Arsenal deservedly making the final of the Champions League for only the second time in our history. The scenes at the end showed what it means to the players, the fans, the manager and everyone associated with our great club. This was the biggest European night at the Ems and from the moment the team arrived in the bus, it felt like it. Thousands arrived early to greet the team, and the energy was only ramped up from there.
The pre-match tifo read ‘Over Land and Sea’ – referencing the amazing support our fans offer the club. The ships were perhaps a nice reference to the Spanish Armada, a fine historical precedent for a Spanish invasion repelled with a classic British combination of steel and insouciance. Although tonight there was more of the former than the latter – despite Ben White getting a special Sir Francis Drake tattoo on his left bum cheek to mark the occasion.
The team was unchanged from Saturday, MLS keeping his position and putting in a remarkable performance that all but guarantees the end of the rumours we might look to cash in on him this summer. We won’t – that lad is a keeper (as in, we should retain his services, not stick him in goal).
Across the board, our players put in a shift. Viktor Gyökeres followed up his best game for us with one that was almost better. He worked his balls off, and showed some real quality, even holding the ball up in a way I did not think he had in his locker. He missed a difficult second half chance on the half-volley, but rather than blame him for the miss, we should take heart from the move that saw us move the ball quickly from Gabriel to Trossard to Hincapie to Big Vik. That is how to use him. We even gave him balls in the channels to run onto and he thrived. Keep playing to his strengths, Gunners.
The match started with us dominating the game but not creating clear cut chances. The crowd were immense, willing the players on. In the 35th minute Griezmann brought down Trossard from behind in the box. I think it should have been a penalty, but the ref gave nothing and VAR kept quiet. If the ref had given it, I think it would have stood, but then again, I thought the same when Eze was fouled last week. Certainly, Atleti got the rub of the green throughout the tie. I have got zero time for Barcelona (horrible club) but ask any of their fans why they had a man sent off in both QF legs against Atleti for last-man challenges, yet Pubill was given a yellow for cynically hauling down Gyökeres in the second half and they won’t have an answer I can repeat here. I don’t know the Spanish for ‘cheating wankers’, anyway.
We took the lead just before half-time when Saliba played a ball into the right channel for Gyök to latch onto. He held it up well and crossed deep, the ball finding Trossard via a slight deflection. The excellent Belgian twisted and turned, got a shot away which Oblak palmed into the path of Saka, who reacted quickest to burst through two defenders and knock it home from point blank range. Absolutely deserved and the already noisy stadium went wild.
We rode out the second half. At times we dominated and looked so secure, at times Atleti put their foot on the ball and we had to dig in. But at no point did they seriously threaten our goal. They could have had what would have been a hugely unjust penalty after a Cala tackle, but the ref gave us a free kick after Gabriel threw himself to the floor moments earlier. Apart from that, we weren’t threatened. This is an Atleti side who are supposedly much better in attack than defence, but over two matches they managed to score a single goal, from a penalty that was only awarded because UEFA have perverted the handball law in such a disgraceful way that all sane observers agree they have to change it before next season starts. Put another way, they were damned lucky to score one.
What we have already achieved this season, given our squad and injuries, is essentially a miracle. Arteta is a bloody genius. If he had Kane, Olise, Doue and Kvaratshkelia then we would look better in attack. But he has Raya, Gabriel, Saliba and Rice, so we look good in defence. Make no mistake, Saka is our only attacking player who would make it into a PSG or Bayern team (and we have not had a properly fit Saka all season). But none of their keepers or defence would make it into our team if we had everyone fit (my Kingdom for a Timber!).
So, we rely on organisation, guts, discipline and no small amount of quality. But, we don’t have truly elite attacking talent on the pitch as much as our direct CL rivals. That’s just a fact.
You know what else is a fact? Neither PSG nor Bayern will fancy playing us one little bit. We are a fantastic football team. We have four more games this season. It is time to bring it on home.
Until next time ‘holics.
A fine and very speedy report GSD for which many thanks .
The Emirates needs nights like tonight where the emotion and joy seeps into the stands and the concourses and fans feel the incredible legacy that we had at Highbury . This was a wonderful night and we hope and pray the Burnley game is very special too
You describe an attritional game well although there was some fine technical
play and we had the know how and maturity to overcome the Spanish brigands led by the snarling Simeone , the Captain Hook of La Liga . Extra time was surreal with Andrea Berta seeming to chin Simeone and the football resembling a very typical game on Hackney Marshes on a Sunday morning with lots of snarling parents on the touch line
We will reflect on what we have already achieved but this is a great night for our club.
On the pitch I was hugely impressed with Gyokeres who worked his socks off to very good effect , MLS who you describe really well ( he’s going nowhere but he might yet go to the World Cup ) and Ben White was solid as a rock . Declan was his imperious self and I have never seen a substitute run further in a cameo appearance than Zubimendi who was a phenomenal replacement
I’m a European jinx so I’m not going to Budapest although it is a city I like very much . I hope to like it even more on May 30th
She wore,
She wore,
She wore a yellow ribbon,
She wore a yellow ribbon in the merry month of May,
And when I asked her why wore she wore that ribbon,
She said it’s for the Arsenal and we’re going to Hungary.
Hungary,
Hungary,
We’re the famous Arsenal and we’re off to Hungary!
Thanks Dino, a fine turn of pace and a good summary of a tight game where
we were mostly the better team and deserved the win.
Lots of things to enjoy in the performance now it’s over, but TTG has covered most of them already @1. Great to see Benjamin defending so well, understandably it’s taken
a little time and he is the sort of player who needs a run of games but we are
lucky to have him and Timber in the same squad. Leo was good too I thought,
looking closer to his best, a couple of his trademark timely goals would be bloody
handy in our next four games. On we go!
And wot Esso said @2
Budapest is a cheerful place just now 😃
And I know we are supposed to be sporting in victory and all that
but I really enjoyed waving goodbye to Simeone and his grubby
little team.
Utterly exhausted and enervated by exhilaration here. An excellent and swift report GSD and superb songwriting Esso. More anon. *sinks to the ground*
What a night! I think we floated home up the M11. Home at 12.30 and very, very happy.
Good job on the review GSD. As I remarked to you on WhatsApp, how Dave Faber would have enjoyed tonight.
Great stuff from Sam Wallace in the Daily Telegraph:
“Just the slenderest of margins to beat one of the most bloody-minded of opponents in a Champions League semi-final – and Arsenal were back to the last peak of the Arsène Wenger years. The team of 2006 that marched to Paris that year belong in a different Arsenal epoch – predating those long years of Wenger decline, the new Emirates Stadium, the Kroenke ownership as well as financial fair play and financial foul play elsewhere in the English game. For Arsenal fans of a certain vintage, the club were now finally back where they left off.”
A report to match the occasion, GSD. Bravo.
These are the sort of nights that make all the others worthwhile. Heroes all. This really is a very good team. It looks as if Arteta has it coming to the boil at just the right time.
Here is a remarkable set of stats that illustrates how we snuffed out their offensive threat: Antoine Griezmann’s four defensive tackles were twice as many as he had shots, and he only managed four touches all game in our penalty area, which was three more than Julian Alvarez.
True enough from Sam Wallace @8
Nice to be back at the very biggest table in football. The difference is this time we won’t have to pay for a new stadium (I hope) and we can stay and get our feet set firmly under that table.
Interesting answer from Bukayo when Micah Richards asked who he wants in the final. First of all he told Richards off for his impertinence, and then said if you think about it the answer is obvious.
Ned, in the last drinks
Yeah, I noticed the top of the table clash in the HolicsRopeyLeague 🏆
I have been creeping up in the league sneakily but I’m much too far back
barring some obscure midfielder from Wolves notching 5 goals a game for
the last 3 rounds 😃
Great and speedy report, Dino.
The hymn for the day, as below.
We’re on our way
We’re on our way
We’re going to Budapest
We’re on our way
How we’re gonna get there we don’t know
How we’re gonna get there we don’t care
All I know is we are on our way.
Apart from the fact we that 21CG, I and our crew bought flights and accommodation in October. The 6 ‘P’s’ – Proper planning prevents piss poor performance.
Mikel Knows.
Thoughts on the day:
Walking round N21 yesterday proudly wearing my 1971 red Arsenal shirt, I was getting bibbed by cars and high fived by locals time after time. The atmosphere was already building. Inside the ground, the pre-match hymns were being sung by 7 pm at the bar at Block 10 as we gathered. There was no Kum Ba Yah element to this. There were no spectators in the terraces. Only participants. The ground felt different. There was a togetherness, a unity which it was wonderful to experience. Then lift off as the teams came out. I have been calling for a bear pit atmosphere for ages. Last night, the supporters delivered. It reminded me of the 80s on the Clock End. We were not going to be silenced or moved.
When the goal went in, it went absolutely batsh*t crazy. Pints at half time fuelled us for the second half. The outcome was, to quote the venerable Mr. Hill-Wood from another era, never in doubt.
Everyone stayed until the final whistle despite most having to get up first work today. Everyone wanted to applaud the manager and players. Pouring down with rain so post match pints were ordered to let that dissipate then home. A sea of smiles walking down St Thomas Road. Onto the train, off at Winchmore Hill around 11.30. Then bibbed 3 or 4 times on the walk home by fellow gooners, seeing me resplendent in the ‘71 shirt.
That’s the way
A ha a ha
I like it.
I’ve occupied the same seat at the Emirates since the stadium was opened and had the same neighbour on my right side . His wife sits in front of us because he prefers to chat to me about the game than her !
We were saying last night that irrespective of all our interests , and we have many between us, nothing comes close to the visceral grip of football ( in our case Arsenal )
Last night that stadium felt alive and enervated in a way I’ve never felt to the same extent before .
The recovery project which Sam Wallace refers to is Arteta’s great achievement . That we should reach a Champions League Final and be within touching distance of the title is jaw dropping especially given the injuries we’ve sustained on the way. We’ve also been to Wembley to contest a lesser bauble . It’s enough to make a Tottnumb supporter weep and many were , I’m sure, yesterday. They should save themselves with our help but the chasm that has opened up since Arteta took over between the clubs is huge.
You will still find blogs carrying contributors who purport to be Arsenal fans who would like us to sack Arteta . If the league isn’t won an idiot like John Cross who is supposed to understand our club believes he cannot stay . Me, I’d start commissioning another statue for the fella p.d.q.
And on nights like last night , as C100 said , I always remember my conversations with Dave Faber. Dave felt we just needed the Cup with big ears to make his Arsenal watching complete . Wherever he is I hope he’s got access to decent beer, a comfy chair and a very good view . He would have loved every second of last night . I know I did .
On the way to the ground I had my usual chat with the editor of the Gooner . He asked me to produce a series next year reflecting the highlights of my time supporting Arsenal- that’s sixty seven years . It made me realise what a privilege it has been . And hopefully it’s got some more highlights to add .
Thank you Arsenal for giving me some of the great moments of my life
Still flying/floating/dreaming, not sure which. What a team!
Cheers GSD!
Excellent GSD – and some great posts from our regulars who were lucky enough to be there !
I think TTG has a good point about a statue for Arteta. A former captain of the club and the manager who has rebuilt it from a shambles to potential – no, I’m not even going to say it yet but, you know ……. And all this while staying within a point of the biggest cheats the English game has ever seen.
I’m not singling out any individuals from last night. They all played their own, very different parts magnificently. They are a team. A collective – not individuals. That’s what makes them as good as they are.
Superb. All round.
I’m spending the morning drinking coffee, watching the whole game back and hoovering up any and all Arsenal content online. The whole team were magnificent. Many people have commented favourably on Gyokeres’s contribution. In this form he reminds me of Malcolm McDonald. Very physical, never gives a moment’s peace to the defence. He marauded from beginning to end last night. I thought MOTM could have gone to him, Rice, either of the centre backs, Trossard who is right back to his best form, great first touch and got through so much work, or, indeed MLS. Totally happy with the choice of Rice though.
The crowd were superb. I wasn’t there for the “greet the team “ but as we stopped for a chat on Bear island with the editor (my column on visiting the Etihad is in the new edition, pleas, please take out a subscription) but from the detritus it went off far better than the organisers had hoped- well played RedAction. The concourse was absurdly buzzing and the queues for the beer were immense.
Throughout the game the support was outstanding. Every good pass, good run, tackle or block were cheered to the echo. The scenes at the end were off the scale. In front of me was a Dad with his young son, I would guess 7 or 8 years old. His face at the end was a sight to behold. He will remember that night for the rest of his life, a bit like TTG remembering Herbert Chapman’s first trophy. There is a sense of family in the team and in the crowd. Celebrating the goal and the final whistle by hugging people you only ever see at football, United in a common cause.
What’s job has been done by Mikel Arteta and what a season this is. Onto West Ham on Sunday. I’ll be there in row 68. Send oxygen.
Top Work, C100!
Editor of The Gooner I should have said. See links on the right above.
This.
BBC Sport is plumbing the depths of even its own asininity, leading its site today with:
This is getting very silly, Ned, isn’t it?
Excellent contributions above by those who were there.
What a match! What a night! Like Ollie, still flying/floating/dreaming and having a Henry V/St Crispin’s Day moment: And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here
Ollie@23: It is one thing to abandon the standards of serious sports journalism, but it’s something else to be just pathetic at whatever it is they have replaced it with.
CER@13: Fantastic foresight — or Pollyannaism to the nth degree! You should be walking away with the Predictathon with such prescience… 🙂
https://likeanewsletter.substack.com/?utm_campaign=pub&utm_medium=web
Good summary piece.
BtM@26: Thanks for that link. There is a thoughtful post in the comments: All KSE teams except Arsenal have won league titles. KSE teams have done it the right way. Find the right coach, spend wisely and hold onto key talent.
Love this para from the Guardian’s Football Daily
“While the match itself may not have been up to much, the spectacle and occasion of Arsenal’s win over Atlético Madrid on Tuesday night made it a unique and memorable evening in the club’s history. Pre-match smoke and pyro provided the soundtrack to the raucous welcome their players received as they arrived on the team coach. The rabble-rousing Over Land and Sea tifo couldn’t have looked less like its dismal, forlorn-cannon-on-a-bedsheet counterpart of yore. The unifying roar that greeted Arsenal’s gladiators as they strode out from the bowels of the colosseum they call home was off the scale. It was as if a sizeable proportion of match-going Arsenal fans had finally twigged there’s more to supporting your team than turning up five minutes before kick-off and sitting in nervous near-silence for 90 minutes. “We felt it,” cooed Bukayo Saka, in a post-match interview with the CBS Bigger Cup B@nter Show. “Since we were on the coach, I’ve never seen the Emirates like this in my whole career. It was so special. When the game started, they pushed us. It was just a beautiful moment”
In all fairness, I should commend the commentary of Chris Wittyngham and the former US international goalkeeper Tony Meola for CBS’s Paramount+, which broadcast the game in the US. (The Premier League is mostly on NBC services.)
Their style is a carbon copy of commentary on US pro sports — incessant stats, some obscure (eg, Cardoso is the fourth American to appear in both legs of a CL semi-final), constant description of what the viewer is clearly seeing with their own eyes and the still jarring to my ears use of ‘makes the play’ when a player does something routine like head clear. The immaculate pronunciation of Spanish names is another feature, as was an unfamiliarity with the Emirates crowd, which apparently sings, ‘To the Arsenal, 1-0’. The tactical analysis is also pretty basic.
However, Wittyngham and Meola’s commentary was largely non-judgemental and refreshingly devoid of the hackneyed, others might say moronic, ex-pro punditry that bedevils the UK broadcasters.
Many thanks for that excellent report GSD ona match that I still have not seen but is queued up on my telly for an anticipated most pleasurable viewing later today. Cheers!
Wonderful piece from Tim Stillman on being therelast night. Like me he can’t get a Crystal Palace ticket either!
New song doing the rounds
Tell me ma me ma
To pack me Y-fronts and vest
We’re going to Budapest
Tell me ma me ma’ 🎶🎵
Evening all.
Spoke with my brother who was at the match.
He confirmed that it was the best atmosphere ever at the Emirates.
Certainly sounded good on the telly!
Fantastic performance!
I’ll be watching the other semi-final tonight on Canal +.
For the moment, I’d like QSG in the final…..but will almost definitely want Bayern to win after about five minutes of biased chauvinistic ‘le coq qui chante avec ses pieds dans la merde’ punditry from the French commentators!
They’re pretty good actually, but awful when there’s a French team playing…..
JML @34
Is that yer actual French?
C100
Yep…ask Ollie!
So the rules are now clear. Any handball is an offence, especially when in the penalty area. But this does not apply to QSG.
Hope that clears up any lack of understanding on the part of mere football fans. Thanks, UEFA. In no way are they looking to help QSG to win the competition.
Massive over celebration by PSG tonight. Tell the BBC immediately
So the SF that was built up to a preposterous degree turned out to be a dead rubber after QSG scored an early goal and sat deep to make Bayern look utterly toothless. So, it’s to be QSG in Budapest. The first goal is going to be crucial. I bet MA8 is already scheming.
CER, I thought so, but apparently not.
I quote from elsewhere:
What is not a handball offence in football/soccer?
…
is hit on the hand/arm by the ball which has been played by a team-mate (unless the ball goes directly into the opponents’ goal or the player scores immediately afterwards, in which case a direct free kick is awarded to the other team)
And so the referee was correct.
I think we might need Timber and to be defensively perfect, but on a one-off match, we can win.
Most definitely not watching this one in town though, will be home or London.
I am looking forward to reading the articles on PSG’s anti-football, smothering Bayern and sitting back on a 1-0 lead for more than 90 mins before wildly over-celebrating after the final whistle.
NB you are being slightly disingenuous there. There were far more chances tonight than in our match yesterday, it’s just that unlike last week, ‘keepers remembered to make saves, Neuer in particular (after the first goal, he was at 0/6 shots on targets saved over the two legs), even though none of those saves had to be outstanding, I think.
I couldn’t care less about what the media said after last night (personally I saw a very good match, tactical, and very well controlled/mastered by The Arsenal), but I could see how a neutral would find tonight more entertaining overall (though not suspenseful indeed), albeit nowhere near the anomaly of last week.
The media will certainly be bitterly disappointed though that they won’t really be able to oppose/contrast both matches the way they could last week, so in that way I agree.
QSG in the final….
We can f*ckin’ do’em!
And that, C100……
is yer actual ‘Olloway French!
Trying to beat the odds
https://bsky.app/profile/cweatherspoon.bsky.social/post/3ml7oxskezk2b
I don’t mind it being PSG, though I was equally happy to beat either in the final.
PSG and ourselves were the two best teams in the CL last year and have proved so
again this time around. Basically they just shaded us last year, time to turn that around this year
@46 thanks c100, Russ’s reply underneath also made me laugh out loud.
Many C130y apologists like to trot out the highly suspect stats that Russ
mocks so well.
Adrian Clarke:
BOOM for the 1/2 ton
Well in for the half-ton, bt8.
In other news, Porto has triggered its option to make Jacub Kiwior’s loan permanent. https://www.fcporto.pt/pt/noticias/20260505-pt-comunicado-jakub-kiwior (in Portuguese). The transfer fee is €17 million, with €5 million in potential add-ons and a €2 million sell-on clause. Porto has already paid a €2 million loan fee. All of this adds up to roughly a wash on the €20 million we paid for him, with the possibility of a bit of a bonus down the road. He is a good player, but breaking into our back four is a big ask, so a permanent move seems a good solution for all parties
Well in bt8!
Best of luck to Kiwior, he seems to be doing well at Porto by all accounts
and I’m fine with getting our money back on him
Well in bt8! Just loading this page this morning has a tune in my head again. It goes… ’49, 49 undefeated….’.
Texted my Marseille-supporting colleague (who is conveniently off this week) to welcome him to the Arsenal fan club.
Thanks for the Adrian Clarke link Ned.
Good sense from him and I liked his 10/10
for Mikel at the end there, deserved on the
team selection alone.
I’m sure we will discuss transfers in some detail in the summer but it’s worth looking at who may be expendable , needs a move to play regularly or is not up to it anymore – and how much that may raise
Ned kicked it off helpfully with the sale of Kiwior which more or less washed its face
So my suggestions are
May be expendable
Nwaneri
White
Norgaard
Martinelli
Trossard
Hein
Vieira
Nelson
Several in this category are current squad members and could contribute richly this season but we do need to upgrade and refresh . If I was in charge I’d also try to sell Madueke but I doubt this will be done .
If we sell everyone in this group we might raise £120-150 million
Needs a move ( but maybe a loan)
Several of those above but Nwaneri’s loan suggests he has a poor attitude and another loan isn’t a good idea
Salmon ( loan)
Harriman Annous
Copley
Kabia
Here we have to decide on whether a loan will develop a player we wish to keep long-term or prepare them for a move away . Only Salmon is definitely a keeper
No longer good enough
Gabriel Jesus
Might we get £15-20 million for him ?
According to today’s Times it suggests we are looking at a full back , midfield player , winger and striker . They might be called Livramento , Bouadda, Godts and Alvarez ( or Kofane ) . We’d need to spend around £200 million and much more if we sign Alvarez but that appears manageable after a very lucrative season . We will definitely sign Hincapie which will be another £45 million .
Possible shock sales might be – Calafiori, Havertz and Odegaard but I suspect we will retain them all
I was back in London for a few days over the weekend and able to get to the Fulham game. It was an absolutely brilliant day, watching a fantastic match in great company (I was especially pleased to be sitting just in front of the estimable TTG – a real pleasure). The crowd were excellent, and on a personal level I was so pleased to have the chance to cheer our lads on. As I’ve made it to 2 games this season, I tried to squeeze half a season’s support into each match. That was much harder during a cold and quiet game against Brghton in December, but against Fulham it felt like everyone else was doing the same. Rocky Rocastle chant went up to mark the great man’s birthday. 49, 49 Lewis-Skelly. Ben White made a horlicks of 2 clearances right in front of us. We all responded by singing his name. It was everything we want our stadium to be – loud and proud, pushing the team on.
And then we played Atleti. I was home in front of the TV for that one, but the atmosphere looked incredible. Just incredible. Not just better than Fulham but a level up. It was magnificent. Well played to Arsenal and everyone who contributed to that monumental semifinal victory.
We will face QSG at the end of May. But we’ve got a league to win first…
UTA!
Great stuff, GSD!
Yep, if we win the League first (and I am fairly confident about that again), it will be quite the tonic just ahead of the final.
Sunday’s the biggest banana skin, coming as it does after the high of Tuesday, against a team fighting against relegation and probably keen to show they can go toe to toe with a CL finalist anyway – Man City may have dropped more points on Saturday before that.
TTG @55. Sensible thoughts. It’s a bit too early for me to think about transfers but I remain much less convinced than you that the publicly expressed opinions of a coach on a poor run who is not using an exciting attacking player that it is the fault of the player’s attitude represent the gospel truth. He is the only person ever to make such a suggestion and it is obviously in his interest to do so if he isn’t going to pick the player when his team needs wins and the terms of the loan means it is actually costing the club money not to play him. He’s got to justify that somehow.
I’ve never once heard anyone from Arsenal complain about Nwaneri’s attitude and it strikes me as unfair on the young man to believe that he has a poor attitude based on such flimsy evidence. Being a professional, Ethan has of course not responded in the media to the comments, so we haven’t even heard a word from him about his time in France. Perhaps he has struggled with the coach’s style and hasn’t knuckled down the right way? But perhaps he’s working really hard? It’s hard to know.
I can certainly see a potential future where a difficult loan spell away from the rarefied atmosphere at Arsenal ends up being beneficial to a player who has always been told he’s a generational talent. Talent is not enough. Attitude and hard work are the minimum requirement. You’d assume he is well aware of that, but facing a challenge like the one he currently has might be just what he needs. Let’s hope so, anyway.
Well said about Nwaneri, GSD. His loan has not been filled with goals, assists or many minutes played but his growth experience in a foreign country as well as his minutes on the training pitch in a different environment may yet bring dividends. Depends on the mindset of the young man, which we have no actual reason to criticize at this stage other than the coach whose motivations could be suspect as you say.
Dino@58 – the best example he could possibly follow is that of Lewis-Skelly. I imagine that having seen MLS’ resurgence, he may well be thinking long and hard about his decision to go out on loan rather than wait for his chance. Perhaps he doesn’t have the support network around him that MLS does. In which case perhaps he should think about replacing them.
Nwaneri is, by many reports, a quiet and introverted 19-year-old, and I doubt that he speaks French beyond schoolboy level, if at all. I would suspect he has found being on loan very difficult without the reassuring company of those he has grown up with at Hale End, a discomfort exacerbated by not even having the solace of playing regularly. As Dino implies, it is an important test of his character, which may make or break him as a footballer.
Separately, another of our former youth stars, Chuba Akpom, has made it by going the long way round. Now 30, he has turned his loan from Ajax into a permanent deal at Ipswich. After four first-team appearances as a sub (for a total of 28 minutes), his journey took him to Brentford, Coventry, Nottingham Forest, Hull, Brighton, St Truiden, POAK, Middlesbrough, Ajax, Lille and now Ipswich, with whom he will be promoted to the Premier League. A long and hard road.
TTG@55 – sone thorny questions there no doubt. You know the way I feel about Martinelli, and that’s not just because hes of Italian extraction! At worst he can be an excellent back up to a new purchase, who must be of absolute top quality. Therefore not Rafael Leao, as I have see mention of.
Its pretty clear that Vieira, Nelson and Jesus will be let go in one form or another. Whether we need to retain Norgaard is now also moot, given MLS is now clearly a top central midfield option.
Of the youth players, I doubt a loan would be good for Salmon at his age. Getting beaten up by 6’4″, 16 stone lumpen oafs in div 1 or championship isn’t going to do him any good, whereas training with and playing the occasional game for the first team may give him space and time to grow and develop. Kabia has done well on loan, as I understand it.
I think you may be a little on the conservative side with the sale value f some of the players. On the other hand, given we had record income last season and only just managed to roughly break even is not the greatest sign, to my mind, that we will see a heavily expansive buying spree in the summer, along with the fact that all the quality will be playing in the ludicrously expanded World Cup and unlikely to come back before September. As usual, there are more questions than answers, and the more I find out, the less I know, to quote the great Johnny Nash.
TTG@55: There is no argument that the team needs to be refreshed and rejuvenated. Even with last summer’s reinforcements, we have barely scraped through a physically punishing season. Staying at the elite level we have reached will also require upgrades, even for some top-notch and fan-favourite players.
Viera, Nelson and Hein are clear candidates to follow their fellow loanee Kiwior out the door permanently. I suspect the three will go for clearance prices, as did Zinchenko and Lokonga. I doubt they will collectively realise enough to cover the cost of making Hincapié’s loan permanent.
Gabriel Jesus is another likely departure. That will be a tough one for Arteta. Little Gabi was one of his first rebuilding blocks and remains influential off the pitch. Yet his injury has done for him, and Arteta will know that. I suspect he will be allowed to go for a price that will let him secure rewarding personal terms elsewhere.
Among your other potentially expendable players, I believe Nwaneri will be given the opportunity to re-establish himself; one bad loan shouldn’t derail a 19-year-old’s career. The fate of White, Martinelli and Trossard probably depends on the replacements available and their willingness to accept squad roles next season.
Martinelli and Trossard will both enter the final years of their contracts next season. Trossard is 31 and won’t play at this level again, so he may prefer to run down his contract. Martinelli’s development seems to have plateaued. He could be sold for £30-40 million. If he is not thought to be able to kick on, should the club cash in or keep him for a particular skill set needed in some games?
Nørgaard, who is a year older than Trossard, is also out of contract at the end of next season. For whatever reason, he seems out of favour. With Merino fit and MLS deployed as a CM, he would be superfluous.
Benny Blanco appears to be returning to peak form after his injury. We’ll need two elite right-backs for a long season (and two on the left), so I think he’ll stay unless a compelling younger alternative is available. He has two years left on his contract and will be 30 when it expires. He’ll probably see it out.
Havertz and Ødegaard are two others with two years left on their contracts. A fully fit Havertz will remain a key player for Arteta, but there may be some hard thinking about the captain’s future.
These are the contract expiry dates for our first team players:
June 30, 2026: Hein;
June 30, 2027: Jesus, Martinelli, Nelson, Nørgaard, Trossard, Vieira;
June 30, 2028: Havertz, Kepa, Merino, Ødegaard, Raya, Rice, Timber, Setford, White;
June 30, 2029: Calafiori, Eze, Gabriel;
June 30: 2030: Gyökeres, Lewis-Skelly, Madueke, Mosquera, Nwaneri, Saka, Saliba, Zubimendi.
Hincapié’s loan expires June 30. Dowman still isn’t old enough to sign his first professional contract.
@64/65, Ned “but there may be some hard thinking about the captain’s future.”
Sad but true and almost unimaginable by me at the start of this current season. Martin may have diminished himself in his boss’s eyes. If he struggles to complete the next four games but then plays blinders for Norway in the WC, eyebrows will be raised.
@62, Ned, there was a time when I thought Chuba was the next Henry. Fine margins and high hurdles.
Very sensible and reasoned input from GSD , Ned and CER re our loanees and future potential sales . I agree that one bad loan to what is clearly a volatile club should not disqualify a young star from succeeding at Arsenal. Nwaneri is a real talent . I suspect initially he might fare better at Arsenal playing wide rather than competing with Odegaard, Eze and Havertz for time at no 10. Interesting also that Dowman came on against Fulham at 10 and looked ( as he always does) very exciting. I also like Martinelli but to me he does not contribute consistently enough . Trossard might be the subject of a serious bid from Saudi Arabia that might be too attractive to turn down. It was great to see Benny Blanco play so well against Atletico but he had some wobbly moments against Fulham as GSD mentions . I’ve heard very strong Livramento rumours and if he does come we will have Timber and Livramento in front of him ( and Mosquera who can do a very solid job there too.) Much may depend on Benny’s career aspirations at this stage and what someone like Everton might offer for him.
Arteta has shown his ruthless side with players like Ramsdale , Smith- Rowe , Nketiah and Tierney who were much loved by most supporters sold on and while our squad that began the season was mind- bogglingly good, we can and will upgrade to ensure we maintain our place at the top in Europe and abroad
TTG@68: It was Aubameyang and Ozil that Arteta was ruthless with; the departures of the four you mention were mere professional hard-headedness in comparison.
Good players all, but Rammy and Eddie were square pegs in round holes. KT3 was, too, if less so than those two, but injury-plagued. Delighted to see him doing well at Celtic, although, as we have noted before, he doesn’t play a lot of 90s.
ESR is the intriguing one. I think he could have fitted into an Arteta team, but his development did not keep pace with the rise in the level of the team overall. That is going to be the challenge for any of the youngsters coming through.
Ned
I’d liken what Arteta did to Ramsdale to what George Graham did to Lukic when he brought in Seaman. It’s incremental improvement and it’s good management . After all he binned Leno for Ramsdale before this, having preferred Leno to Martinez.
I’d suggest that Ozil and Aubameyang were disciplinary decisions rather than specific football ones but you are right that he showed real ruthlessness in cutting them adrift. This was clear in Auba’s case in the All or Nothing documentary .
Watching ESR on Saturday when he got a sympathetic reception from the crowd there were renderings of the ‘ Saka and Emile Smith Rowe ‘ song that used to for some reason annoy Cynic so much ! It made me reflect on the career trajectories of the two lads and how getting to the very top level, which we require players to do is such a challenge
Always a sign of optimism in the air when the talk turns to transfers!
Three wins, three clean sheets will do that 😃
Still, one game at a time, it’s been a funny old season of highs and
lows and Wham has banana skin written all over it if the players
aren’t fully focused.
Having said that……
I’d be very surprised if we let Nwaneri go now, We don’t know
the real situation of course but I do remember MA saying
that he sent ESR off to Huddersfield years ago not to give
him playing time but to make him face some character
challenges and become less introverted. His character not
his ability was the doubt in MA’s mind in other words.
I expect MA will keep him for a season and then make a
decision.
@58 Ollie
In the interests of fate, karma, superstition or whatever I just
want to say I am not overly hopeful for Brentford on Saturday
but you never know.
@70 TTG
Good comparison on Lukic and Rammy. In terms of goalkeepers MA has been on a journey but Raya seems the final “Seaman” bit of the journey. I liked the stations along the way,
Leno, Emi and Rammy but I was sleeping when we passed Runarsson so I can’t talk about that stop!
OM@72: Thinking about what Arteta did for Saliba by sending him out on loan, one is tempted to say Arteta knows.
~@74: So was whoever signed Runarsson.
I thought Auba was disciplinary but Ozil was a footballing decision.
MA gave both Ozil and Calum Chambers a run of games in the side,
seems to have made a decision, and basically never really played them again.
I’d say subsequent events have shown him to be right on all three.
@75 😃
I finally got to watch a recording of Arsenal 1 Atletico 0 and my main takeaway is that a team with a strong defence puts them in position to win championships. We allowed one goal over two legs to a very strong opponent and deserve to be in the final. COYG
I read somewhere that Atleti scored in every CL game except two
– that would be the two they played at our place. Elite defence.
My aversion therapy was working about Runarsson – I’d consigned him to the dustbin of history . In fact I’d blotted him from my memory . But now the Gus Caesar of goalkeepers has crept back into my subconscious . I won’t sleep tonight 😀
Matt @73: Ha!
The Football Writers Assiciation have just announced Bruno Fernandes as Footballer of the Year . Bruno has brilliantly led Manchester United to third place in the League- never at any stage challenging for the league title . They did brilliantly in Europe er sorry they weren’t in Europe , went out of the Carabao Cup to Grimsby and made a very early exit in the FA Cup at home to Brighton. They will play about 40 games this season and yet Fernandes has finished above Arsenal players like Rice, Gabriel and Saliba who have reached the Champions League final and sit atop the League .
If anything underlines the northern bias implicit in media coverage of football in England it is this. Hopefully the PFA will make a proper decision for their award
TTG @82. Your penultimate sentence may be correct. However it may also be possible that the Arsenal vote was split between Rice, Raya, Gabriel and Saliba.
So it’s not a vote for the best player? It’s a partisan vote for your favourite club?
Could be, baff….it’s 2026.
I think it’s partly the nature of our team, with Saka having a quieter
season by his own high standards we don’t have a star player type
like Fernandes or Haaland or Salah. Shiny things attract the weak-minded 😃
Declan Rice is the standout player in the Premier League and European competition from an English perspective. Not even close
I may not be objective but I’m inclined to agree with you, TTG @88. I can’t at all understand why they went for the rat-faced whiner.
https://arsenal.com/news/hammers-hero-greenwoods-unsung-impact-arsenal
Thanks Esso, didn’t know that about Greenwood.
Into the 90s we go but before the run to the tun
I was wondering who I wanted to come up with
Coventry and Ipswich.
Haven’t seen Millwall in a long time I suppose,
which may be a good thing but at least it’s a short trip for the team.
I’ve disliked Middlesbrough since the 70s and never liked
The Housemartins either so that only leaves Southampton that
I remember C100 isn’t fond of as an away trip.
Millwall it is then, begrudgingly
C100 must not be forced to go to Southampton. But who are the housemartins. They sound like a bunch of bothersome birds.
Bt8,
They were from Hull, made an album called Hull 4 London 0
in the 80s.
Zero goals in either play off games. Who needs any of these teams in the EPL if they can’t entertain?
I quite like the Housemartins.
Though a friend from Hull told me it should be
London 500 Hull 0 😃
I have a close friend who was born and brought up in Hull and started a charity that enables Hull students from poor backgrounds to be supported through university ……
But he lives in Weybridge !
When my then girlfriend and I traveled to Holland through Hull in the mid-70s, we were so unimpressed with the place that we decided never to apologise again for the state of Glasgow and its denizens to an Englishman. I was subsequently told that its pubs are ‘very atmospheric’. Having spent my formative years in Glasgow, I know what that means.
Ton in sight. Volleys a vertical pass through the midfield ……
Picks it up on the edge of the area, turns on a sixpence
and dinks it to the far post for……
Ball comes towards me, I trip up over my feet, it hits me, wrongfoots the keeper and drifts into the net.
I worked in the shipping industry and therefore had multiple visits there and made @ lot of friends. Regularly went to watch football there as a guest in their new stadium. I found the locals very friendly. Those with any sense lived down the road in lovely Beverly.
My younger son went to the wonderful Hull University.
I went to Hull once.
It was shut.
Great band though, The Housemartins. Redolent of misspent 80’s university days…
I went to the university of Hull. Great place to study although I had my car stolen twice and my bike nicked and never recovered. The lercals were a bit rough.
A ton! Well in Uplympian!
Well in for the ton, Uply.
TTG@97: I’ve heard that there are clubs in the North that require a Surrey residence to get tickets.
Uplympian @100
Good goal!
Went to Hull once for work about eight years back.
Stayed in Beverley…really nice.
I remember that a pint of Carlsberg was £1,90 in the ‘expensive’ sports bar……( I was on the ‘posh’ stuff, St Miguel, at about £2,20) they didn’t do food, so the barmaid recommended the local Wetherspoons, where a curry and a pint was less than six quid!
Just win all our games…..nothing has changed tonight..
Cheaty f*cking f*cking c*unt c*nts can’t catch us*
And that’s….yer actuel French.
*those of a certain vintage will recognise the linguistic nod to Pete and Dud (Derek and Clive) Quite appropiate, having learnt here that Peter Cook originated the ‘yer actuel French’ line
Well in Uply. It was a hulluva good goal. 😀
Well in Uply. Nice assist, Matt!
>>>>>>>