This is the third time I’ve written a piece about what we need to do this summer to improve our team. There are so many ways we could approach it that my mind has gone back and forth both in terms of what I think we should do, and what I think we will do.
So, this final version will just highlight some of the choices the club have to make in the summer and some of the options. Hopefully, there will be thoughts in the drinks from lots of you about my suggestions and what you would do yourself, because there really is a lot to consider.
The most obvious starting point is to highlight the, well, obvious… we are an excellent defensive team who need to improve our attack. Pretty much everything from here on in assumes that as an agreed premise.
One simple way of being more dangerous is buying better attacking players. It looks like we are serious about trying to buy Morgan Rogers, and it is easy to see how he would be an upgrade in the left-attacking position. He’s an excellent player I like very much, and his running power and athleticism highlight one potential road we might go down: leaning into qualities we already have rather than trying to reinvent our entire team dynamic. This makes sense to me, and I hope we get a deal done.
It looks like we are after a new midfielder. Some want a passer, like Wharton. Others advocate for a talented youngster, like Bouaddi, who has room to develop but whose game is not yet set in stone. Personally, I do think we need someone who can cover for Rice, who has played too much in recent years. Of course, we won’t get a like for like option, but I think we should aim for someone who could at least do a similar job ie, mobile and can cover ground. MLS and Zubi are both excellent players, and perhaps a simple way of improving is to focus them on quicker ball progression?
Martin Odegaard’s situation is not clear cut. He has two years left on his contract, so it is the usual time to offer a new contract or look for a sale. I don’t think he has done enough to justify a new contract, especially on the type of wages he would want, but I don’t really want to sell him either. I think he’d be better if we used him for games that suit his skills, rather than having him as a nailed-on starter, but that can be a hard role for a captain to accept. If he shakes his injuries, then he could easily return to form, but it would be tough to bank on it. We could really do with him rediscovering his creativity, as well as his goal contributions. His off-field importance is obvious, but I would like to see us transition towards Declan Rice taking over the captaincy in the coming year. However, the Englishman’s respect for Odegaard is shared by the rest of his teammates and I don’t think the club will be in a hurry to pass the mantle. Lots of interesting possibilities, so let’s see what happens.
Similarly, there are a wide range of outcomes for Ethan Nwaneri and I don’t know what his future will look like either. Personally, I’d keep him for another season and see how he goes. He is much more physically developed now he’s started properly growing into his man’s body. He has also had no summer football, so will be ready for pre-season and the start of next season. I expect our team to feature some players in the first few weeks who might not be starters if the whole squad were fit and available (Mosquera and MLS to get some starts, Salmon and Dowman PL minutes, etc), but someone like Ethan could genuinely play his way into the team. Towards the end of last season, Arteta spoke revealingly about how he had to speak to Myles three or four-times during the season before he was able to explain what he wanted from him. Since they got on the same page, Myles has been immense. I think Arteta needs to do the same with Ethan, and that watching MLS take ownership of his place in the starting 11, in his favourite position, will remind Ethan that is what he wants for himself. I think he might be just the type of 10 we need; incisive, direct, risk-taking, rather than a possession merchant. At least, I hope he gets one more shot.
We could go and buy a striker. Personally, I would… I’d buy Kroupi, or possibly the big Italian lad at Inter. Or some other guy who the club have watched but I’ve never heard of. Essentially though, what I want is a young, talented striker who can be part of the group with Havertz and Big Vik, and who will be ready to take on more responsibility over the coming years whenever the others move on. It would be great to get a couple more highly talented players between about 20 and 24, just for the age profile of the squad. Keeping Havertz fit would be a huge help, and I expect Gyokeres to push on after a much-improved second half to his first season. But with only those two, we would be one light (although I suppose Merino could cover).
Personally, I am not particularly interested in Alvarez. He’s a good player but I don’t think he is worth the money Atleti want for him, he clearly wants to play for Barcelona anyway, and the whole thing looks complicated and fraught. I’d swerve it myself, but perhaps things will change and there is a deal to be done. As ever, it is hard to know.
From a tactical perspective, I do struggle to see how we fundamentally change the midfield dynamic. We could use Rice as a 6 and then play two 8s, but I suspect that instead we will stick with last season’s double pivot (Rice and either Zubi or MLS) with a 10 in front of them. Maybe a player like Bruno Guimares might shake it up a little, but I am not expecting a big change.
So, I think we should take a leaf from PSG’s book and push our fullbacks up high. To be fair, we did often do that last season, but both Timber and Calafiori got injuries, and their understudies don’t have the same attacking threat. Personally, I would try to buy an attacking fullback on both sides, as close to the style of PSG as possible. Hincapie does not offer enough in attack, and he is needed to share the left CB position with Gabriel. If Ben White can stay fit then we could keep him for another year, but personally I’d try to sell him and get in a younger guy. We have such a solid defensive platform, and all of our central midfielders are adept at covering the space left by roving fullbacks, that I would lean into turning our fullbacks into serious attacking threats. As well as extra bodies, it is important to have real quality from those positions, and I think we should be scouring the market for the right players.
I’d be happy enough to sell Trossard and/or Martinelli. We should definitely try to get Jesus off the books. Same with Norgaard. We don’t want to mess too much with a winning squad, but there needs to be some turnover. We really must bring in some real top quality attacking talent, as well as change how quickly we get the ball forward and how we structure our attacks. We play so many low blocks where teams block the centre and funnel us out wide (the horseshoe of death exists because that’s where teams give us the space to keep possession) that it makes sense to me to lean into that with attacking fullbacks.
But there are other options. Weirdly, given that Declan Rice is one of the best midfielders in the world, I don’t think he’s that easy to find a complimentary partner for. Zubi was good for the first half of last season, but I don’t think we’ve quite got that area sorted yet. Like Zubi, there are other players who we can hope for more from next season now they’ve had a year to bed in – Gyokeres. Madueke and Eze can certainly become more consistently influential. And even an extra five goals from each of them would be very handy. Is this the year that Max Dowman steps into the first team on a regular basis? Could we bring in someone like Bradley Barcola, a top talent bought from a big team who hasn’t quite been the main star and is ready to show the world what he can do? There are so many ways this could play out.
Let me offer a few final thoughts. Arteta often overcorrects whatever he saw as our biggest problem the previous year, so I think we can be pretty sure he is plotting ways to score a lot more goals. Oh, goody! Josh Kroenke is fully on board, and he’ll be fighting the Arsenal corner with his Dad, making sure that money is there if the deal is right. We have an excellent (and growing) recruitment team who are identifying young talents as well as players at the very high end of the market. The twin goals next year are retaining the Premier League and winning the Champions League. The pool of players who move the needle for us is pretty small, and I expect us to be very serious about bringing in people who can help us win the biggest trophies in the club game. We are in a strong position and everyone at the club is working to leverage it. What’s not to like?
I dunno how this is gonna play out, but I am excited to find out…
Until next time, ‘holics.
GSD
This is a fine and bold piece and I hope Andrea Berta subscribes to GHF! As supporters and given the number of players brought in last summer there is an element of trusting the transfer process which worked pretty well last summer .
It’s hard to know exactly what money we might have available and who we consider expendable . I suspect we will sell ( or try to sell) Jesus , Norgaard , White ( if fit enough to be sold ) , Martinelli, Trossard and maybe Odegaard . A lot depends on our players’ willingness to accept subordinate roles if they stay. Players like Eze, Madueke , Calafiori and Merino will need to accept they might only start twenty games but might figure in forty or more .
I think Dowman will play a lot more this season and relieve pressure on Saka .
Who might we buy?- My suggestions are Rogers , Bouaddi or Kone ( check this boy out in the World Cup ) and Esposito or Kofane upfront .
If there were any surprise sales we might see Zubimendi , Havertz or Calafiori move on but I doubt it . If there are surprise sales we might see a surprise buy underlining the ambition of KSE – possibly there might be a spectacular forward addition which takes us to the next level but it would cost a fortune
Let the trading begin ! In Berta we trust !
Many thanks GSD for that excellent analysis of our options for positively moving the needle to improve the strength of our squad. As for scoring more goals I say we should sign a striker with a motherfucker of a hard shot from distance so we can watch him rip the hands off the opposing keeper from week to week. By the way, I do normally require a small fee for consulting in these cases but I will agree to forego my fee in this instance. Bring on the monster signings and Arteta turning the monsters into purring kittens. Cheers!
Interesting speculations, GSD and you identify accurately where we must invest. Excuse me if I don’t engage. I am still enervated by the sustained tension of last season’s PL – despite the happy ending – and my ultimately fruitless Budapest experience that I can barely engage with the Trump Cup let alone engage in transfer fantasies. Hopefully I’ll recover in time for next season. Otherwise I’ll need to find a new hobby.
Gabi M isn’t the most popular man here in Japan this morning!
Anyway, thanks GSD for your transfer thoughts, agree with you on
Alvarez, let’s just give Barcelona the privilege of overpaying.
Finally, watched another game in the World Cup on a mixed
day for The Arsenal. The Germans wuz robbed and then completely
messed up the penalty shootout not a sentence
I thought I’d ever write 😃😃😃
Didn’t watch the Japan game but I heard it was a good finish
from Gabi M and there was a good header from Kai. But Kai
was one of three German players to miss from the spot…..
Sad for him but hopefully he can have a good rest and he’s a
strong character so I am sure he will come back strong.
Interesting thoughts, GSD.
t looks like Rogers is a primary target. I’d like to see Kofane or Kroupi added to the forwards for consideration. Bouaddi would be my midfield pick. I think Bennie White will probably depart and we’ll need cover for Timber at right back. I see a lot of Guimaraes ‘noise’. He’s a difficult fellow to like – but a decent player.
Japan game was a very entertaining one, Matt. Japan the better team in the first half, much superior midfield to Brazil’s. They tired noticeably in the second half and their super-effective press from the first half fell away.
@6
You may not have seen my previous mail BtM as the drinks closed so just sending it again
as below……. The reason I’m sending it again is my brother wants to know
if she is still good?
@31 BtM, my brother saw Olivia Clarke 10 years ago at a Sandy Denny
tribute. Thought she was better live than her records, apparently she
knocked out a decent version of Who Know Where the Time Goes as well
The lady I saw at Kings Place was Olivia Chaney, not Olivia Clarke, Matt. Coincidentally, my interest in seeing her was prompted by an interview that Olivia did on Radio 4. She sounded like an interesting performer and during the course of the interview the song below was played. It’s featured in the ‘new’ Wuthering Heights movie apparently at an emotional point in which Heathcliff materialises from the mist on the Yorkshire Moors. The song reminded me of Sandy Denny (unmatchable of course) and prompted my visit. In the event, Olivia Chaney’s performance was based very much on material composed by Henry Purcell. She is a very good singer, guitarist and squeezebox player and I enjoyed the evening – but not as much as I would have had it featured Sandy Denny vocals and songs.
Who Knows Where The Time Goes. Indeed. A song for the ages and the aged.
Trev I was cut off in my prime in the previous blog. I put this comment into the drinks. I’m sure all the readers here would love to know your answer.
Watching England play and indeed watching Arsenal last season, it’s increasingly obvious that “ Saka! Saka! Running down the wing! “ (tenuous link to the topic of this blog) just isn’t fit. So what’s the answer? One solution could be to give him a real rest and time for treatment in the first half of the season. Perhaps don’t sell Nwaneri and play him/Dowman in rotation with Noni for the first three months of the season.
Trev I’d be interested in your professional opinion. If he really hasn’t recovered from complications following his surgery (as has been mooted) or his tendonitis what’s the answer? Rest and exercise? More surgery? What sort of timescale could be involved?
Cheers GSD! xxx
Wonderful, wonderful football from France tonight. Surely the winners of this World Cup.
Sorry, BtM I meant Olivia Chaney of course! Thanks for the song
and I will share the info
Yes, on Who Knows Where the Times Goes song, Sandy Denny or,
as she comes from our neck of the woods, Wimbledon’s finest as my
brother likes to call her was great. He also likes to tell me she was the
only woman ever to sing on a Led Zep album 😃
Just in case anyone was wondering about the song….
I recognise the name but I don’t recognise the song. Was that her ‘big hit’ or did she have another notable song?
I fully agree with C100 about that France performance – just spectacular. Can’t see past them at the moment though this old Gallic failings of arrogance and complacency may prove their biggest obstacle.
Meanwhile Hincapié has ensured first use of the showers with an injudicious use of his hand.
Chelsea have signed a 6’2, 21 year old Italian right back called Palestra. I’ve never seen him play, but a couple of months ago i heard some good judges say he’s an excellent prospect and someone we should be in for. Chelsea payed £47m. We probably decided to keep our powder dry given the possible price of the forwards we are interested in. If Chelsea have overspent then that will seem wise. But if he goes on to have a stellar career that takes off at exactly the time that we needed a new right back… well, I just hope we don’t care because we found something better!
I was under the misapprehension that it was the 1st July but no it is the 1st April . Why do I say this . Apparently we are looking beyond Kepa as our deputy goalkeeper and have apparently alighted on Illan Meslier , formerly of Leeds as our choice ( according to the gossipy sources that appear to be increasingly accurate nowadays)
Shome mishtake shurely? He is the flakiest , least inspiring keeper I’ve seen for many a year . Some keepers make mistakes against other sides and have standout performances against us but Meslier is regularly useless against us . I know Cena, our goalkeeping coach, has idiosyncratic ideas about goalkeepers ( Runarsson need I say more?) but his perception in identifying the special talent in Raya has been very valuable .
Meslier has been let go by Leeds and would stand a heartbeat away from the number one jersey, perhaps for an extended period if Raya was injured . Please don’t do it Berta 😱🤮🥶
The France goalie and fullbacks are relatively weak. Digne? Please. Get Saka to square hum up and take a few shots. If that doesn’t work… I’m out of ideas!
Seriously, apart from those 3 positions, they look fearsome. Not least, their captain. My issue with Mbappé is that he’s got a huge ego and it makes him lazy. Not all players with big egos refuse to work for their team, especially not to Mbappé’s level. Thierry had times he didn’t track back much, but there was an element of conserving energy that he could use more effectively. And he cared about winning every game he was in, so rarely coasted. He’d have been a far less effective player if he strolled about like Mbappé often does.
Conversely, I think Mbappé has hugely underachieved in his career. He’s got all the talent and attributes to be one of the all-time greats, but he doesn’t work hard enough often enough. He’s nowhere near Pele, Maradona or Messi. He’s one of the best of his generation, sure, but he annoys me because he could have been better. There are so many players who would do anything to have his talent, but they don’t, so they just work their balls off instead. If Mbappé had the work ethic of Mo Elneny, he’d be some player.
However, having said all that… the biggest single reason that France look terrifying right now is that Mbappé looks so hungry. He said before the tournament he was gonna work harder for the team, and he is. And he is just such a good player. He’s like lightning, he’s strong and elegant, his feet are so quick, he finishes brilliantly, he reads the game. In full flow, he is just magnificent. I really hope he plays out the rest of his career like he has played last 4 games. If he plays even the rest of the tournament like this, I think France will win it and we will all have to agree that he’s the best player in the world right now.
I saw an old tweet from Charles Watts (9 years ago?) that said Arsenal were hopeful that we’d be able to complete the deal to sign him from Monaco. That’s a sliding doors moment!
Thanks for a thoughtful piece, GSD. I suspect that what Arteta will be overcorrecting for this season is end-of-season injury and fatigue rather than a shortage of goals. He might take a leaf out of PSG’s book and have, in effect, one team for the CL, key league games and the PL run-in, and another for all the rest.
Belated thanks, too, to C100 for the previous piece on the songs. It hit just the right note…I’ll get my coat…
Tonali is confirmed by Ornstein as going to Spurs. For £93m plus £7m add one. Worlds gone mad.
Degenerate gambler.
No chance of us getting Bruno now. They won’t sell both.
They’ll always have Joelinton!
I’ll have a tenner on Tonali not working out at the spuds
@14 I think I will let BtM answer about Sandy Denny as i imagine
he knows her music better than I, though I can tell you granny was from Dundee 😃
@16 wot TTG said about Meslier
@18 Ned, I thought about the split team idea for CL and PL, but I just don’t think we can get away with it in the PL as easily as PSG do in Ligue 1.
The Spuds have no European football and have agreed terms for Fernandes (£85 m) and Tonali(£100 m) . They also have signed Van Hecke and Senessi. With Vuckobic going to Brighton . I think their SCR must be being squeezed if they spend much more unless Daniel Levy had a massive war chest he didn’t spend .
Hold on I’m being told he had a massive war chest he never spent !
Ned@18. I think you are absolutely right that Arteta will want to overcorrect fatigue and injury. We’re already seeing it happen with a big shake up in our medical personal in a variety of roles.
We’re also adding to the scouting department and are soon to appoint a new academy head, so there is a lot going on behind the scenes.
However, I also think we’re gonna see some big attacking incomings as well. We won’t get through another season with no penalties conceded and no red cards. And part of the reason we were unable to rest key players towards the end of matches was because the results were in the balance and we needed our best players on the pitch. If we’d been beating Burnley 3-0 after 60 minutes (for example) then Norgaard could easily have come on for Rice. More goals means more rest which equals less injuries. Arteta will be well aware how the pieces lock together.
Plus, he wants to win the CL. And if we come up against the handful of other elite teams then more potency would really help.
GSD@26: I can’t disagree with any of your logic. If Jesus goes, as expected, then we’ll have to buy a replacement, and that should mean an upgrade.
Arteta will also want more goals from across the team. In the league table of PL goalscorers last season, Gyökeres was 7th with 14 (including three penalties), but next best was Eze at 35th= with seven, then Saka at 43rd=, also seven but including one penalty, then Trossard, 46th= with six, then Zubimendi at 57th= with five, then Rice and Merino at 72nd= with four, then Gabriel, Jesus, Madueke, Timber, at 91st= with three, then Havertz at 129th= with two, then Calafiori, Dowman, Hncapié, Martinelli, Ødegaard and Saliba, at 180th= with one. Non-scorers: MLS, Mosquera, Nørgaard and White.
Even allowing for missed games because of injury, there are plenty of players in that list capable of being more prolific.
Santi Cazorla retires from professional football. I love that little man.
Time to bring him back as a coach.
Santi details
Santi was a wonderful player. A joy to watch.
Quite agree with all the nice things said on Santi in various places.
An absolute steal from a debt-ridden Malaga!
It was heart-warming to see him get back to playing again after
leaving The Arsenal and eventually captaining his country too after
many years away. Hope he will do a farewell tour and come to
give us a wave at The Arsenal 😃
I’d like to add to the love for Santi, the most genuinely two-footed player I think I have ever seen! His superb free kick against Hull in 2014 was a sliding doors monent . If we hadn’t got a foothold in the game we wouldn’t have gone on to win.
Super personality – I’d echo C100’s suggestion he joins our coaching team
Might Santi be the man to run the Academy?
If anyone is feeling hot under the collar about transfers, chill. Wise words from Keenos.
Ned at 33. I think the job of academy head has already been filled.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c3wyljl8j26o
I love Santi! Who doesn’t?
He’s not got the right profile to be academy head at this point, but he’s 100% someone who could be a great addition to our coaching staff, especially if he’s able to coach any of his own way of seeing space and finding passes. That’s something we could really do with. If he is to attacking coaching what Heinze is to defensive coaching then sign him up!
Bravo, Santi, on a very fine career that ends with pretty much everyone in football having only good things to say. That doesn’t happen often. Well played.
That moment TTG mentions above was indeed highly influential on what followed. It was the 2014 Cup Final against Hull City at Wembley. I was there with my then 15 year old son, seeing his first Cup Final. We were standing behind the goal on the lower tier behind what started as the Arsenal goal behind Fabianski. We were very confident. But that all ended as Hull went 2-0 up in the first ten minutes. A few moments later Kieran Gibbs had to head the ball off the line. WTF was happening. We were awarded a freekick just outside the Hull penalty area. Santi stood behind the ball. To my right my son was becoming increasingly vocal. Up until then he’d always been quite quiet at football (you’d never believe that now). “Come on Santi, moment of magic, moment of magic” he was shouting over and over. Well you know what happened next. The ball soared into the top right hand corner of the net. Pandemonium at Wembley. Koscienly equalised in the second half and then, in extra time, Aaron Ramsey scored from a backheel from Giroud right in front of us. We had won our first trophy since 2005.
Thank you Santi Cazorla.
Thanks to C100 for appending those words of good sense from Keenos, a man whose typing is almost as bad as mine !
Every word he says is total commonsense . I think we may see Kepa depart and we are now talking about Sommer or Ortega as back-up to Raya . Ironic that a man who denied us the title is now possibly trying to help us win one . Either of those options are in a different league to Meslier . As for Monga I think in Dowman and Nwaneri we have exciting young players who can play wide or in the no 10 position and we look to have a deal set up for the young Georgian .
The Spuds have signed good players ( Dubravka would have done us) but they have wildly overpaid for their three signings . Interesting that a Spud acquaintance has been raving for ages about Vukovic, ‘ Best young CB in Europe’ – as good as Saliba ‘ Well interesting that Brighton who don’t make many mistakes in the transfer market have hoovered him up and sold the Spuds Van Hecke who has picked up two nasty injuries at the World Cup. That deal looks a better one for. Brighton than the Spuds in terms of future profit .
I trust our process but we may have to wait until the World Cup moves on a bit for deals to take place. I suspect England players will be coming home on Monday night sadly
C100@35: i had read de Maeschalck had emerged as a late frontrunner but hadn’t caught up with how close he was to getting over the line.
Keenos very sensible. I agree with all of that. Thanks for the link, Countryman.
I think we’ll go for at least one BIG signing, and maybe even two. No need to rush things.
One thing that does concern me is quite how much money the Spuds stadium generates. Our local council hinder us massively whereas theirs are exceptionally accommodating. I worry that we might need to bite the bullet and completely rebuild our stadium. But it wouldn’t be worth the effort if we are only allowed to host 4 events a year in it! And it isn’t worth disrupting the upcoming period of success by making the team play home games somewhere else.
Further down the line though, if we don’t make a serious upgrade then Spurs are gonna have a huge and reliable financial advantage and have every chance of being a big club (I was about to end that sentence with the word ‘again’ hahaha) for the first time. I dont want us to be left behind. Fortunately, this is one area the Kroenke’s know what they are doing.
Georgia Stanway signing is confirmed! That’s a massive signing. Welcome to The Arsenal!
I think it’s pretty unfair that England have to play their next game at such altitude against a team who are used to it, given the huge physical advantage it gives Mexico. If two teams were playing at an altitude both were used to and one team took a bunch of drugs to boost their physical output by 10% they’d be disqualified for doping. The effect of playing the next match at altitude will be the same. It should be part of the host’s conditions to keep the altitude of stadium’s within certain limits so it’s fair for all teams, whatever stadium they are drawn to play in.
England won’t be able to press in that one. Rest Rice and play Mainoo. Ie, swap a runner for a passer. This is the one game we could really have done with Wharton!
I don’t think it’s unfair at all. Playing at altitude is a natural environmental condition and that’s what the conditions are in Mexico. It’s their turn to host the World Cup so let them enjoy the advantage. If it’s so unfair they can refuse to play and get kicked out, but they won’t. It’s like complaining about playing cricket in sunny and hot conditions in Barbados.
The challenge of playing at the Azteca is best met by autologous transfusion in the next 24 hours of two units of autologous red cells drawn over the preceding 4 months. If it is permissible to make teams used to playing at sea level compete against players acclimatised to altitude since birth then I find it hard to accept that such a measure should be forbidden. Otherwise it’s like taking a knife to a gunfight.
https://x.com/premierleague/status/2072659049804435919/video/1
Watch Santi switch feet when taking a corner ! How many players can do that ?
It’s the first clip in the reel
I find @43 and @44 entirely reasonable
Though I thought this well-written hatchet job on McCullum and Stokes
quite a bit less reasonable.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jul/02/bazball-ends-with-a-whimper-to-expose-emptiness-of-english-mens-cricket
Anyway, enough of cricket for now. I watched some World Cup last 32
highlights with my son today, we saw some oddly random refereeing decisions
being made on fouls at corners, it felt just like watching the PL 😃
On the other hand I liked that refs seem to be ignoring dives and just
getting on with the game
With a startling lack of originality I thought the French team looked best,
and will actually watch the game vs Spain live if they both make it.
England have a sniff I thought, if they can get past Mexico anyway, and I can’t see why they shouldn’t really despite all the whining.
I will cross deeply to the far stick at this point……
https://www.arsenal.com/news/pascal-de-maesschalck-joins-academy-director
SP @43.
Mexico aren’t the only hosts of the WC. If they were, and all the games were played at the same altitude, then there would be no problem. But FIFA have given the tournament to three geographically huge nations meaning the distance between some stadiums is thousands of miles, creating wildly different conditions from game to game.
It is nothing like complaining about sunny and hot conditions in Barbados. If you want to use a cricket analogy, then it would be more like playing your first four tournament matches in England, then travelling to Barbados for your fifth, to play a team who had exclusively played in Barbados. And even that doesn’t really work as, whilst some conditions would change, it is specifically the change in altitude which is the issue here, as it has a profound effect on the human body in a way that cannot be compared the effect of cloud cover on a cricket ball.
Exactly that GSD @51 – congrats on the half-ton btw (and congrats to Matt for spotting the opportunity for a pass) – the average haemoglobin of a native of Mexico City is 10% higher than that of a resident of a sea-level nation. The delivery of oxygen to the muscles is therefore 10% greater which, in truth, may have a greater impact on potential performance and stamina in a sporting situation than most banned doping agents apart from erythropoietin which, of course, has the same net effect of raising the haemoglobin. It’s too late now to implement an autologous red cell banking system and a donor red cell infusion, while as effective, probably still carries more risk in Mexico or the USA than would be deemed acceptable. They’re just going to have to tough it out. A level playing field, it is not. This is why Mexico have lost only 2 of over 80 games they’ve played in the Azteca despite a distinctly average-to-poor record in international matches elsewhere.
Barcola. Yes or no? Emphatic yes from me. Get the cheque book open Berta.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7415771/2026/07/03/bradley-barcola-transfer-latest-fee/
C100 @53, an unqualified YES from me.
I’d prefer Rogers to Barcola if we can only get one. If it is possible to get both then I’d be over the moon. I really like both of them, and they are very different players.
Barcola reminds me a little of Henry when we signed him, in that he has pace to burn and I don’t think he’s near his top potential yet. But I think Rogers is similarly unique in his physicality and ability, and his style of play would be far more useful in the PL. No-one gives us the space in the PL to play Barcola in behind. Whereas in the CL he’d be exactly what we need.
If Spurs can do £185m on Fermandes and Tonali, couldn’t we spend the guts of £250m on Rogers and Barcola? He asks hopefully.
I’m going to have to collegiately disagree GSD. I think we need a left winger and I don’t think Rogers is one. A good player, certainly. But not really a winger.
I’m with C100 on this, GSD@55, a man reputed to have an eagle-eye for a left winger masquerading as centre left. Moreover, I feel that Rogers will certainly play in the space in which Eze generally plays and I would prefer to get the best out of Eze and give him a true left winger to play outside him in Barcola and spend that money on a centre forward or back-up midfielder.
Tottnumb economics bear no resemblance to rational fiscal management..
Great stuff GSD! Love the way you all keep the site going in the ‘off’ season. xxx
Fair enough, gents. I have to say that I do get the impression that Arteta has set his sights on Rogers. I’d agree that he’s not a left winger (hence why I suggest we play left backs who can overlap) but I think Arteta is gonna try his best to get him in the club. Maybe he knows where he will fit, maybe he’ll have to work it out.
Prices always get bigger. Obscene as it is, you either pay the money or get left behind. We haven’t retained a league title since the 1930s, and certainly through the Wenger years we never used our position as champions to really strengthen the squad. I think we may well do so this year. We need players to win us the PL and CL in the next 2 years. Hence the Bruno Guimaraes interest.
Also, as I noted earlier, Spurs have a lot of financial leeway because of their amazing, money-generating stadium. And their team is crap, so if they want good players they basically have to pay the asking price and offer big wages. If they get top 6 next year it will look like money well spent.
GSD @51 agree my cricket analogy is weak but there are always going to be advantages and disadvantages in sport. If England want to win they’ll just have to deal with it and play a lot better than they have so far. I’ve been to Mexico City and I didn’t notice any issues with altitude in the 5 aside fames I was involved in.
SP. England will definitely have to improve if they want to win. Mexico will be a tough game and the English pressing tactics won’t work. Whatever happens, Arsenal are champions, and I’m taking great comfort in that this year!
Well in for the half-ton, GSD.
I’d take Barcola in a heartbeat. The only left-winger I would prefer would be Kvaratskhelia.
Bath@57: I have been wondering if the push to get Rogers means that selling Ødegaard is under serious consideration. For whatever reason, even playing for Norway at the WC, he seems half a yard slower mentally than he was.
Without wanting to sound too cantankerous (but failing), there are a dozen stadiums in South America higher than the Azteca, and England, like all the teams with aspirations to the knockout stage, knew that there was a possibility they would have to play in the Azteca or the other high altitude ground being used in this World Cup, the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. Many US pro sports teams that have to play in Mexico City favour a ‘fly-in, fly-out’ approach, arriving as close to kick-off/tip-off/first pitch as possible before acute altitude-related symptoms set in. Does anyone have any memories of how England and other European teams coped with the altitude in the games in the 1970 World Cup?
@63;Agree Ned about England having to adapt but I read FIFA nixed the late
fly-in / fly-out approach for teams based on whatever happened to be
the policy that day.
I assume Tuchel sees some advantage in moaning about it because as you
rightly say it was always a possibility for any team in the competition.
I remember Argentina coped well in 1986 in Mexico by punching the
ball in the net 😂😂
Esso@58- thanks fir starting my day with Junior Murvin! Made me smile.
Re the T*tt*nh*m debate, I suspect what we are seeing is them going all in after years of relative underspending/ financial management and the ownership taking money out. They can’t do that anymore as they have Champions down the road and no amount of Beyoncé doing’ her thang can hide the poverty of their squad. I imagine that despite all the concerts etc, they still have a large amount of debt as a result of Agent Levy frankly ballsing up the project management of the stadium build in order to save relative pennies. Good. Tonali for £100m is ludicrous, given his gambling predilections. There’s a reason a starter for Italy in his prime is not playing in Italy. In his case, it isn’t his injury record.
We’re going to have to spend pretty spectacularly, it seems to me, to be in the running for the title or CL next season. Rice, Saliba, Odegaard and Saka have all been run into the ground. It would not surprise me in the slightest to see them all have seriously curtailed seasons. None of them are easy to replace. None of them are in positions for which we are likely to have planned for purchasing back up, with the possible exception of Odegaard, were we to get Rogers. We have no idea of the likelihood of Timber being fit for the kick off and Ben White’s injury looked pretty long term. Gabriel is likely to go deep in the tournament. Thankfully, Zubimendi, Merini, Raya, Eze, Martinelli haven’t been starters to date but they will also likely go deep in the World Cup and do need the 3/4 weeks compulsory break, meaning they won’t start training until the first of the pre- season friendlies, meaning they may or may not be ready for kick off. And when they are, after a few weeks they’ll all be off on International duty to play, the Europeans at least, in a tournament – the Nations Cup- the purpose, much less the value, of which I have no idea.
Apologies for the Private Fraseresque position taken, but I’m struggling to see how we wont have a large drop off next season.
CER@65: Plus, FIFA, in its infinite wisdom, has dictated that the first international break will be three weeks long next season, from September 21 to October 6, to allow countries to play four fixtures. At least we’ll only have to wait until November 9 for the next interlull, which will last until November 17. I suspect we’ll see a lot of the top internationals picking up minor injuries that will force their withdrawal from their international squads.
What a quite incredible effort by Cape Verde to take Argentina to extra time . I made the mistake of watching that awful game between Australia and Egypt and ended muttering that it showed the folly of expanding the tournament. How I wish I’d watched Cape Verde instead . They were magnificent even if they suggested Argentina are heavily Messi dependent
Bravo those brave lads from Cape Verde ❤️🏆
Whoever thought it might be a good idea to switch the Mexico-England kick-off to early afternoon, when the heat and humidity are at their peak in Mexico City, must have gone doolally from the lack of oxygen reaching their brain at that altitude.
Ned and Matt. FIFA mandate a semi-open training session the day before the game, so the fly-in, fly-out option is not permitted.
Ned, I’m not sure that knowing you might have to play at altitude alters the physiology of your body! Neither am I sure that your point about other high altitude stadiums in South America is anything other than a good argument that Mexico would have been better co-hosting with some South American countries rather than the US and Canada. Nor am i sure it matters that if one stadium is high enough to affect the players physically (the one they are actually playing in) that it makes any difference if there are other stadium’s that are higher.
Anyway, I’ve made my point, which is that sudden, massive altitude changes between games for only one of the competitors is unfair because it clearly provides one team with a distinct and measurable physical advantage. I disagree with anyone who thinks some other factor mitigates this, but it is what it is and any team facing this disadvantage will have to overcome it or lose.
Now, I shall join Ned in the Cantankerous Club. First round’s on me.
Excellent, GSD. Welcome to the club. A pint of Old Grumpy for me.
Adrian Clarke offers an interesting analysis of Guimaraes and compares him with Rice and Zubimendi and concludes that he would markedly improve our goal scoring rate as a result of his progressive passing and vision for a key pass. The starting positions of Zubi and Ødegaard would appear to be the most vulnerable to his addition to the squad.
Ned @62, your point about is well made about Ødegaard possibly being replaced by Rodgers. However, Guimaraes strikes me as the more likely threat to our captain’s place. The former adds duel winning and ball recovery in midfield to his offensive threat and he represents an upgrade to both Zubi and Ødegaard. Then add his work rate and his goals and our interest appears extremely logical given last season’s relatively low goal haul.
Thanks GSD and apologies for not getting to read earlier. A busier time than I necessarily wanted at the moment but what can you do ?
Catching up on the previous bar I noticed a question posed by C100 in relation to Bukayo Saka, reproduced here –
“Trev I’d be interested in your professional opinion. If he really hasn’t recovered from complications following his Achilles surgery (as has been mooted) what’s the answer? Rest and exercise? More surgery? What sort of timescale could be involved?“
I wasn’t aware that Saka had had Achilles surgery and will assume you meant his hamstring surgery – apologies if I’m more out of touch than I thought.
It seems to be generally accepted that Bukayo is struggling with a long term Achilles problem which was being managed at Arsenal through the end of the season.
That could possibly be the result of compensatory changes in his gait following the hamstring surgery but I certainly don’t know that to be the case.
The important thing is that he has a troublesome Achilles problem so what are the likely main treatment options.
If the problem is “just” chronic inflammation my usual treatment would be rest, ice, massage / manipulation and anti-inflammatories of some kind. Steroids are not a good option into a relatively fragile structure but there is some recent research coming from the US (NOT Mr Kennedy !!) which could be interesting. Apparently it has been established that acute and chronic pain have different pathways in the body and a new combination of paracetamol and ibuprofen has been found to be at least 30% more effective in dealing with this type of pain and inflammation. It sounds very basic but evidently works in the required ratio of 3.3:1 (paracetamol to ibuprofen). Trade name of Combogesics – if anyone recognises a need – provides 450ng paracetamol to 150mg ibuprofen, as opposed to the standard 500mg of each – normal dosage being x2 in either case. NO I am not on commission !
That of course only deals with the pain side of the equation and the injury will still require probably up to 3 months of rest, gentle and progressive stretching and reconditioning (strengthening).
I’ll deal with the surgical option in another drink in case I manage to delete all this – which I just nearly did !
The surgical options for a damaged Achilles don’t really bear thinking about.
We can thankfully rule out a ruptured Achilles in Saka’s case but even minimally invasive repair options are not good news.
“Minor” Repairs normally consist of removing inflamed tissue, tidying and restitching torn fibres or, more seriously, recessing (lengthening) the muscles whose tendons form the Achilles to relieve pressure. Any of these will require a period of non weight bearing, gradual lengthening and strengthening which will add up to a normal minimum of 6 months out of action. In many cases it could mean 9 months out.
There was one case I treated personally – which might provide a bit of encouragement – where the patient’s Achilles fibres had started to tear and unravel in the words of the brilliant surgeon who repaired the damage. It was a very rare, genetic condition that could be repaired by stitching and re-weaving the fibres together. With the advice from the surgeon that “it’s fixed – do whatever you like, whenever you want to – there’s nothing else to be done !” – that patient was able to make a return to skiing as soon as he felt comfortable in the ski boot again.
To be honest I would advise you to take no notice of this whole drink. It is an absolute shot in the dark with no knowledge of the circumstances – just a list of all the horrible outcomes that could result. You did ask – I’ve done my best but would rather not think about it ! 🤷♂️
Thanks Trev for the medical view, as you say let’s hope a good rest, ice and medicine
will do the trick. I missed our Starboy last season, a fully fit Saka makes a huge difference for any team.
Trev
Don’t be modest I think all our readers find your posts immensely informative. Your best guess is much more likely to be helpful than scare ( or scars ) stories on the internet . It’s bad news because given the subdued form he exhibited last year we are talking about what is tantamount to a two year impact on our most talented attacking player . It poses a major conundrum for Arteta and ironically instead of putting his feet ( and Achilles ) up he is involved in the most important tournament in world football with intense matches played in heat and sometimes at altitude . It couldn’t be worse prep for next season but I’m sure he is desperate to play
It also means Arsenal will lean into Madueke , Dowman and possibly Nwaneri . With the Rice issues as well it’s an uncertain background to our prep for next season . While I shall fervently support England on Monday morning I don’t see our odyssey lasting longer than about 3.30 am BST
TTG – don’t forget to add Saliba to Arteta’s problems.
Gunnerblog reporting that Tross is on his way to Besiktas. €20m.
It’s the right time I think.
But he’s been a great player for us, with a knack of scoring very important goals. Not least the one at West Ham in May. We also dodged a very big bullet by buying him instead of Mudryk. I wish him well in Turkey.
Before someone complains that €20m is not enough, I think it’s a result for a 31 year old who would be available on a free in January.
Trossard has been a great signing for us – lb for £, in terms of effectiveness, one of our best ever.
If anyone is watching France v Paraguay we’re getting a good look at how Barcola might perform against a low block.
I love his attitude. Determined but very calm. Hard to get him worked up, he just gets on with the game.
Interesting thoughts.
Sorry Barcola fans I was unimpressed with him tonight . Doue has had more impact in a few minutes . I’m not convinced he’d adapt to the Premier League . PSG have signed Diomande for a reason while he can be very exciting I’d spend my money on Morgan Rogers . We’ve got an exciting but inconsistent winger already
Props to Leo
He’s been a terrific buy for us and we’ve got our money back . I wish him well in Turkey
Yeah, Leo was great in the first half of the season, better than ever, and
then got the goal at West Ham. One of those signings that turn out much
better than expected. Best of luck to him.
I thought Paraguay’s antics to delay Kai’s penalty for Germany
were kind of shitty so it’s what goes around, comes around to
see Mbappé sticking it to them.
Trev@73 &74: As TTG said @76, your explanations are highly valued. Easy for me to say, I know, but I would rest Saka and Rice until they are fully fit. They are two key pieces of our dynasty team.
C100@79 & 80: Well said about Leo.
An interesting link GSD @84. Quite a thought-provoking analysis. Not seen this fella before. Makes a strong and convincing case for Rogers and Guimaraes.
TTG @85, I share your observations on Barcola having less impact than Doué against Paraguay but there must be a reason why France have started the former over the latter in every game. I still think he would add menace to our attack. I’m also relieved that Saliba, and indeed any of France’s players, wasn’t taken off on a stretcher!
In the end, I will be happy to leave the negotiations and final choices to Berta and Arteta, and am relieved that I don’t have the responsibility of finding and signing a Roy of the Rovers in every position we need to upgrade or cover..
And thanks Trev for a clear elucidation of the Saka injury issue. Like Ned @89, I would rest all our World Cup weary and walking wounded until they are fully fit (are any regular players ever fully fit?) and ensure that we have adequate cover to do so safely.
On Barcola, he had danced through the Paraguayan defence just moments before but wasn’t hacked down He was also excellent in the previous games. Doue was very impactful – but I think benefitted from coming on against tired legs.
In 38 degree temperatures. How the referee, who was abysmal throughout, didn’t see the hack on his legs to bring him down, the good Lord only knows.
An interesting game. Paraguay were Stoke without the charm or subtlety.
The last I heard the Barcodes, having just binned a large sum of money
for Tonali, had no intention of selling us Guimaraes. Has there been some
change?
Great stuff, Trev. Thanks.
Barcola and Doue are both excellent!
I’d really like Barcola AND Rogers. Leo is going. Selling Martinelli whilst his stock is high and replacing him with Barcola (another speed merchant) would be great business. Rogers could play left, but also in some midfield configurations and possibly develop into a striker (he has all the attributes). I like the idea of Havertz dropping deep and Rogers attacking the vacated space.
Ultimately, I’m not too worried about where exactly we’d play them all. Havertz was bought as a midfielder and ended up as the perfect striker template for Arteta. The way prices are going, in two years whatever we pay for Rogers and Barcola will look like a snip. We should buy the best, most talented players, with the most unique attributes, and trust Arteta to use them wisely. Or stumble on something that works. We should also remember that injuries mean we are unlikely to have everyone available for extended periods anyway.
Arteta has changed system multiple times depending on who he has had at his disposal. He won’t change the basics of hard work and defensive solidity. But he knows where he wants to take the team and I wouldn’t worry too much about systems or positions, just the quality of player we bring in. This summer, just buy the very highest quality available.
Matt. There’s a number the Barcodes will accept for Guimaraes, especially if he tells them he wants to leave. Whether we will go to that number remains to be seen. But he is absolutely a player with the attributes to improve us for the next three seasons, which the club have identified as a window when we can win big trophies. I dunno if we will sign him but I think there’s plenty of fire beneath all this smoke.
Last summer they had no intention of selling Isak.
There is also a belief that Guimaraes has a release clause ( or thinks he has!) and Newcastle are concerned about keeping a captain who is unhappy and who at 28 must see this as his last major move . Guimaraes is a very good player but I’ve never been able to warm to him but his numbers are very impressive and he’s playing for Brazil as one of the key players at the World Cup. He certainly has an aura and lots of experience . He would be a big upgrade on Norgaard .
Berta has a very established modus operandi and last season we saw it working very effectively . The Gyokeres or Sesko debate was an example of keeping our options open. We are in a great position of strength. We’ve had a fine revenue generating year , we are Premier League champions and a fag paper away from being European champions and we are in London . He pulled off some surprise transactions like Mosquera and Hincapie and clinched ones long trailed like Zubimendi and Eze . So we should be virtually able to sign whoever we want to.
Last night’s ref was an utter disgrace . Thankfully no one was seriously injured but three French yellows versus none for the Paraguayans was ridiculous. He didn’t originally give the penalty to France either . I hope that’s his last game in the tournament
Good stuff on altitude’s challenges and a nice tribute to Leo from Le Grove:
https://www.le-grove.co.uk/p/first-big-sale-of-the-summer-agree
Dino, TTG
Though I remain doubtful we will get Guimaraes,
I completely agree that
– there is a number the Barcodes will accept for Guimaraes
– we were certainly interested
– he would be an upgrade on Norgaard
– Berta is a very clever fellow and will have options
– we are currently an extremely desirable place to be
Lest we forget, Geordie Arabia has already sold Gordon for a ludicrous sum this summer. I would suggest they are very unlikely to countenance losing their 3 best players in a single window, after losing their best player last summer. Even the highly performative “Toon Army” would begin to smell a rat at the club.
I see Formula One is still farcical
Well in for the ton, TTG.
CER@99: Geordie Arabia might be looking at a root and branch rebuild after the dismal performance last season of a team that inclused Gordon, Tonali and Bruno G, and will take in the spondulix to do so from wherever they can get them as there won’t be many coming from the kingdom’s PIF.
Good point, Ned. Faites vos jeux, les jeux continuent…
They’ve shelled out £40 million today on someone who I’ve never heard of
Don’t worry, TTG. He’s never heard of you, either.
FIFA suspends Balogun’s red-card suspension for one year, so he will be able to play in the USA’s last-16 tie in the World Cup, following calls from Trump administration officials to reverse what the president has called a ‘great injustice’. I guess it is still who you know in FIFA land…
https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/usa-folarin-balogun-available-belgium
The biggest injustice since Trump’s last failed impeachment
It’s exactly why most people didn’t want Trump and Infantino to collude . Imagine a contentious VAR decision in a vital game
Not to worry if Mexico score, I will simply ring FIFA and have the goal disallowed.
But congrats to Ode, I watched the last 20 minutes or so
and he looked to be playing well.
Can we have 5m off on Guimaraes? Joking obviously but
Brazil didn’t look that good at all and put more effort into
being bad-tempered losers at 2-0 down than trying to win at 0-0……
A fine ton TTG! Though F1 fans might be biting back on farcical after
the Balogun bollocks from FIFA
So are we all staying up with this 2am kick off? I’m getting to experience what Matt does every week!
OM. To be fair to Brazil, that match was played in fantastic spirit until Neymar came on. He behaved disgracefully and egged on his countrymen, most of whom resisted his nasty influence. What a cloth-eared egotist: thumping his chest and celebrating after scoring a penalty when his team was still losing the tie, then crying afterwards to keep the cameras on him. Really, really poor.
Marquinhos was as classy as ever and spoke well after they lost. That’s how it’s done.
Countryman. Well, in for a penny. Only 15 mins until kickoff…
GSD, fair enough I only saw the last 20, and yeah Neymar was a pathetic little brat.
C100, the 2AMs are tough, the 5AMs are easier at my age 😂😂
Best of luck tonight 👍
It’s 4.10 in the morning and I’m wide awake.
What a game
COME ON ENGLAND!
I am glad for all of you who stayed up and
got your reward, I know the feeling 😂😂
And it’s a good feeling!!
Time for a spot of lunch for me, I think I’lll
have Mexican….
Apologies for doubting England. The greatest compliment you can pay them is that they defended like Arsenal . I didn’t expect that in the Azteca but they gritted it out . I wonder if Trump could get Quansah’s red card rescinded ?
I’m working this morning – just finished patient 1 at 10.00 – so had to go to bed after our first two goals (only possible after falling asleep from 10.30 till 01.00) – bloody inconsiderate timings this WC. Great Arsenal first goal – have to say, reluctantly, very good assist from Kane for No 2.
I gather from radio reports this morning that parking the bus for 30 minutes and last ditch defending are now very acceptable – as long as it’s not the Arsenal doing it. Who knew ?
Looking forward to Infantino resigning after cancelling Balogun’s ban in response to a phone call from the orange monster in the White House. This tournament, from Infantino and Trump through to the officials and VAR has taken corruption to a whole new level.
Great result for England – Mexico hadn’t lost in the Azteca since 2013.
Wonderful colour piece from Barney Ronay from the Azteca
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/06/england-azteca-mexico-world-cup
The chances of Infantino resigning over this are zero . He is a corrupt manipulator. His relationship with Trump is mutually toxic . Sadly whenever I see Arsene in the VIP seats I can’t escape the feeling he is being used to launder FIFA’s image . Hanging around with Infantino will ensure that ultimately he is covered in fleas too . He doesn’t deserve that for a life dedicated to football in an honourable way . And then he joined FIFA .
Trump the lifetime golf cheat won’t be the slightest bit abashed at trying to ensure USA go as far as possible so glory reflects on him . Surely it must be time for another humanitarian award for him from FIFA ?
Thanks for the Ronay piece C100 . He is one of the great descriptive sports writers and that fixture provided him with ample material ! Somehow that sheen
Of rain , the mist and the gloom created an incredible atmosphere. It was interesting to see who stood up to be counted in that environment and that atmosphere. Answer ? Everyone on our side . Superlative stuff
A tough watch in the small hours but a good result from an England perspective. Norway up next. That’s a tough fixture, they looked excellent against Brazil and Haaland is lethal. For either England or Norway to be in the semifinal will be a good story though.
The Norway v Brazil game was genuinely noticeable for the excellent spirit it was played in. Lots of mutual respect, very little diving and pretty much none of the exaggerated diving that becomes faking serious injury (I absolutely loath it). Neymar came on and tried to ruin it but even he couldn’t sour what was a really fairly contested tie. I hope England v Norway is played in the same spirit. In a tournament where the organisers choose to make it inherently unfair, it is a breath of fresh air to see the players on the pitch play the game as a contest of equals.
Good luck to both teams, may the best team win.
(Note to the ref – that means you do your job and let the players on the pitch decide the result)
That was a superb performance by every man in an England shirt last night and, had they not had to revert to a low block after the justified red card, I think they would have won more handsomely. Impressive though Norway’s win over Brail was, I expect England to dominate that match and progress to the semis.
I was a bit surprised that Tuchel said he didn’t think Balogun’s red card should have been a red. I thought it was a fair enough red card, it’s not what he intended but what he did that should count. I was just wondering what others felt though in case I am being too harsh on young Balogun
The whole thing is rotten of course, but I just mean the original red card decision by the referee
I thought that Balogun did not deliberately go out to injure his opponent but his challenge deserved a red card. Blogs sums it up well. Trump’s phone call request, Infantino’s compliance and Pocchetino’s support of FIF’s supine ruling tell you all you need to know about the state of the game now. Belgium should be supported in their protest by every other nation at the WC.
What Bath said. 100%.
I’ ve just heard that pathetic excuse for a president on the radio – “ I didn’t think it was a foul – and the red card means he can’t play ( sounding genuinely surprised !) and that’s not faaaiiirr ( said with a three year old’s fading whine ) – so that’s why I got involved.”
So presumably the Donald will now go back through all the match videos, call Infantino every time he spots an injustice and make arrangements for all the affected matches to be replayed. Honestly, how is this man-child allowed to continue to embarrass the most powerful nation on earth ?
I trust that, in the interests of fairness. the POTUS will be on the dog and bone to his buddy Gianni to ask that Declan’s ridiculous yellow and Quansh’s justified but unintentional red are also suspended for a year.
For some years now, outcome has weighed more heavily than intent in judging the severity of a foul, and thus whether the sanction is just the free kick or whether it also demands a card. ‘Reckless’ challenges are yellow card offenses. Four of the factors refs consider if reckless rises to the level of excessive force or endangering an opponent, which are the standards for a red, are if the challenge is high on the body part, if it is the studs that make the contact and if both feet are off the ground. All three of those happened in Balogun’s case. The fourth, making contact at high speed didn’t apply as the two olayers were jumping for the ball. However, three of the objective criteria to justify a red were met. Had VAR, which has the benefit of slow motion replays, not intervened, and the split second judgement of the naked eye prevailed, I doubt that, after a few initial grumbles, we would have heard anything more about it.
It would be churlish of me to say that the president has now made this all about him, but he has made it all about him. Heaven help the Belgians if they are beating the USA in the next round. The president will be on the phone asking the officials to find the USA a few more goals and if the final result is in Belgium’s favour, the Belgian squad might just be deported before the next round. Very bad people. The worst soccer players. Everyone says so. Could only beat the USA by acoring more goals. So unfair on Americans.
Infantino could then declare the USA will advance in Belgium’s place based on the ruling of FIFA’s independent panel for keeping things sweet with the host country’s president.
So cynical, Ned but SO possible!
Add your name to the petition to submit a complaint to FIFA’s ethics committee
DONE!
Mikel Merino wins it for Spain with a great finish. Such a classy footballer.
MERRRRRRRIIIINNNOOOOOOOOO !
Thanks for sharing the views and the link @129
Pleased for Merino and now I’m hoping for a good day for Leo.
Imagine a USA v England final . In extra time England score a controversial goal to win which is upheld by VAR . Trump takes Infantino to task and demands a replay or that USA be awarded the game . Couldn’t happen? This is a man who refused to accept that he was beaten in a fair election. And Infantino is a craven sycophant
Thanks for the petition C100 . I’ve signed .
Well done Mikel Merino . That wasn’t the quality of game I hoped for . Another thirty minutes woukd have been tough viewing !
BBC makes the point that Infantino has already been pledged 111 of the 106 votes he needs to be re-elected as FIFA president, so Europeans can complain as much as they like about the Balogun red card suspension, and anything else come to that, but it will be like water off a duck’s back.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cvgmmmgemd8o
The USMNT and Poch have shown a complete lack of integrity in starting Balogun. As someone who is supposed to support the US team, I am a Belgium fan today.
And in yet more ‘there is no politics in football’ news:
Keir Starmer intervened to oppose Fifa’s plan to move England kick-off time
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/06/keir-starmer-intervened-oppose-fifa-plan-move-england-kick-off-time
C100@117: Thanks for the Barney Ronay link. Florid reportage of the old school, but none the less enjoyable for that,
@135 the Europeans need to vote with their feet, quick march.
Roll the dice and see what happens you f*@%ing cowards would be my advice
Well, isn’t that just the happiest of endings
Ned
There is a world of difference between supporting the England team’s concerns about acclimatisation and interfering as Trump has in the competition. USA didn’t prosper by his intervention but it left a nasty taste in many mouths. Starmer wasn’t trying to distort competition.
As for Infantino he may have a secure base of support but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be called to account when he is clearly out of order . FIFA is developing a tradition of rogue leaders who are tainted with the smell of corruption and if the wider football community says nothing Infantino may continue to extend his malign influence on the game .pop
Ned@137- The idea that the empty suit that is Starmer having any influence on the timing of the Mexico match is laughable. Maybe they simply asked his advice on making a turn, being the acknowledged expert in that.
Anti Infantino vote logged.
Of course he has all the votes he needs to be re-elected, that’s why he got all the extra countries included in the tournament this time round – they’re all extra votes. Sort of luckily for him, Curacao and Cape Verde especially did well.
Quite apart from acclimatisation concerns it would be nice to think that Starmer intervened in the kick off time in consideration of fans who had paid for flights that might not have arrived on time had kick off been brought forward six hours. Oh hang on, considering fans …. ! Silly me … carry on !
Of course, we still have the spectacle to come of Trump hogging the limelight once again by handing out the trophy after the final. He’s bound to be mispronouncing words about sport, competition and, if the speech is written by Infantino, inclusion etc etc. All concepts he entirely fails to acknowledge or understand.
In his annual guess-ahead at football clubs’ accounts, the Swiss Ramble reckons that last season Arsenal became the top revenue-earning English club, at £792.5m, up from £690.3m the previous season, thanks to sporting success and the general increase in PL broadcasting income. He also forecasts that while the club’s operating loss will be little changed at £63m, much lower profits from player sales will mean a £68m pre-tax loss in 2025/26, compared to almost break-even the previous season. The operating loss would be the fifth-smallest in the PL, but only four clubs are forecast to make a bigger pre-tax loss: Villa, Everton, Fulham and the neighbours. On the upside, the wage bill is, at 53%, well within UEFA’s 60% wage-to-turnover ratio requirement.
TTG@41: The Guardian article says Starmer argued that an earlier kickoff would give Mexico an advantage, so there was a question of competition integrity, if not as an acute one as in the Balogun case. It is all the same slippery slope, though.
The earlier kick off would possibly have given both teams an advantage – that of not being struck by lightning if the weather forecast was to be believed. It all sounds like a lot of old baloguns to me.
Trev@147: Nailed it. A load of old baloguns…
Marina Hyde’s pen of vitriol sticks it to Infantino and FIFA.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/07/trump-belgium-cheating-world-cup-usmnt-folarin-balogun
Raises bat !
Nice piece @149, C100 – she seemed to grow into that one.
“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined.”
The quote above is taken from the article – this was UEFA’s own reaction to the interference. Not at all a bad attempt at supreme irony in itself given that it rules European football at the pleasure of various levels of the administration in Qatar.
You pays your money …..
Well in Trev👏👏
Well in for the ton and a half, Trev. Chiroptera are devilishy difficult to raise.
Great read there, C100 @149. Thanks for linking.
A fine ton and a half, Trev.
Gunnerblog says we’re signing Meslier on a free transfer. I’ve seen people saying he’s no good these days. I haven’t seen him play in ages, I just remember him breaking through at Leeds and doing well in my Fantasy Team a while back. I’m not gonna get worked up about a free transfer goalie signing. He’s probably better than a lot of second choice keepers we’d actually have to pay a fee for. And he’s not coming in to be number 1, so if we accidentally reach the League Cup final again then hopefully Arteta just benches him.
Fine by me. Bigger fish to fry. Happy to get this one off our plate.
GSD @155. Rumours abound that Kepa is staying and will remain number 2. Messier will be number 3. Tommy Setford will go out on loan to gain experience.
A very interesting piece by Keenos suggesting a strategic approach to backfilling our walking wounded next season:
In happier news for the once of this parish I woke up just in time
this morning to see Xhaka spakey home a penalty as the Swiss won.
They all count eh Granit, good for you 😃
Thanks for the link @149 C100, an enjoyably well-written evisceration.
And I hope you are right @156 about Meslier as No 3
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