I started writing this when I had a bit of free time. I wasn’t really sure what wanted to say. Nearly four hours later I had written this. It’s longer than I planned, and nothing if not sincere. I’m not normally one for spoilers, but if you haven’t got time for a long read then the short version is that I like Mikel Arteta. Otherwise, make yourself a cuppa, or pour your tipple of choice, and settle in.
No-One Likes Me. I Don’t Care
In the wake of last season’s title triumph, there was a slew of articles about Mikel Arteta. Revisionism was the order of the day (although many a snide remark made it through) but, to the surprise of no-one, as soon as he won something big it was time to reevaluate his unusual methods.
Mikel Arteta is not particularly popular outside of Arsenal football club. Hell, since he came through the doors there have been plenty of Gooners who have derided him and wanted him fired. I had the deep misfortune to watch last season’s home game against Brighton sitting next to one. He spent half the match shouting about how Arteta would never win anything and should be sacked. We won the match, 2-1, on the way to winning the league. But at the time, this chap was not to know we were going to win the league. Still, we had a manager who had taken us from a position of being a million miles away from Liverpool and City to three consecutive second place finishes and clearly being one of the best teams in Europe. Under most circumstances, you might assume that such a miracle worker would be revered and loved in his home stadium. Or, at least, would not be openly heckled. No such luck.
Mikel Arteta gets a bad press. Pundits, journos and morons on Twitter have led a strange campaign to denigrate his work and laugh at his methods. The All Or Nothing documentary saw him employ some unusual tactics to motivate a group of twenty-something millionaires. The hard of thinking were unable to grasp that these efforts were specifically tailored for the actual people he was leading and so labelled them ‘cringe’ because they would be laughed at if your boss at the office tried them on Monday morning. Or, just possibly, they realised that he was gonna turn Arsenal into a winning force again and wanted to caricature and ridicule him before he got the chance. As usual, he simply ignored the lot of it for the irrelevancy it was and got on with his own business. Remind me, how’s that going so far?
He is also characterised as being emotionally cold. I find this so weird. I would guess that he talks about ‘love’ more than any other manager. The scenes around the world where people came together to celebrate our league win were everything he has spent years going on about: bringing all our people together and feeling the energy and love.
He values family and community above almost all things, and one of his definitions of community is ‘everyone who supports Arsenal Football Club’. He makes no more distinction than that, and much like the club, he welcomes anyone and everyone who wants to jump on the boat (please see BtM if you need to purchase some wellies).
Sure, he can straight-bat pressers when he judges it in the club’s best interest, but when the time is right, he is thoughtful, passionate, kind and, dare I say it, actually quite funny!
He has huge emotional intelligence, and our entire squad clearly feel understood and know they can talk to him, and that he appreciates them and values them as human beings. Contrary to the false portrayal of him in the media, literally no-one who actually knows the man describes him as cold at all. It is just that he knows when it is the time for joking and when it is the time to work hard. And when it is time for hard work… he focuses on working hard. Joking goes out the window. No-one at the elite end of anything is unable to flick that switch, so why he gets hung out to dry for it is beyond me. He can be incredibly engaging and charismatic when he wants to be. Although, weirdly, you may have heard it here first.
Would You Risk It For A Biscuit?
There is that old phrase that says, “I’d run through a wall for him”. (Or her, of course!) It is usually said about a leader, to show how committed his charges are. It is a level of devotion that few leaders truly inspire. In a football context, it requires having a vision of something greater than just kicking a ball well. And it requires being able to communicate that vision in such a way that others take it into their hearts. It is about identity. Can you be the type of person who gives everything they have to the cause? The capacity to do this comes from understanding that doing so will both change you, turning you into someone capable of more than you believed possible, but will also contribute to a shared body of work that will elevate all involved to more than the sum of their parts; will create something that matters; something meaningful. No-one runs through a brick wall unless it is important that they do.
Great leaders inspire this way. There are plenty of military examples, both wartime political leaders and generals, but also further down the chain. In the life of, let’s say, a special forces unit, the possibility of death means that no-one gives their devotion frivolously, but there are countless soldiers who would follow their first-in-command into any danger without a moment’s hesitation. It is not only because these people are brave. It is because they believe in something bigger than they are. It is because they trust the man in front implicitly (as well as the other members of their team) and they know that there is no-one more committed to the cause than he is. It is because they know that no matter how hard they work, or how much they give, they will still never put quite as much into it as he does (unless, one day, they take up his mantle – but that is another story). They want to impress their leader. They want him to be proud of them. But they also understand that he also wants what is best for them, rather than what is best for himself. Great leaders want their teams, and each and every player on them, to ‘be the best they can be’ (to borrow from SteveT a well-known phrase oft heard in Dave’s bar!) They believe unshakably in the worthiness of what they are building. And they would never ask anyone to run through a wall that they would not run through themselves.
Leaders like this are rare. Those with vision, who can explain the vision, who are willing to work relentlessly and single-mindedly towards its completion. Those whose words align perfectly with their actions. Those people who keep their word, whose integrity is beyond doubt. When you meet someone like this in your life, and they want you to be a part of their team, it is an almost intoxicating feeling. There is a sense that if you fail to follow this person, if you give up, or get off the ride too early in search of some other destiny, that you will always look back with regret and wonder what could have been.
Just ask the Arsenal squad. Saliba, Saka, Gabriel and Rice (to choose a few big names) were all part of Arteta’s teams that came second three years in a row. They were all wanted by some of the biggest clubs in the world. Their commitment never wavered. One signed for us when we were far from the safe bet, the other three signed new contracts. If you hear any of them talk about their boss, all you hear is how brilliant he is. All our new signings say some version of, “when I spoke to him face-to-face, I was convinced.”
Martin Ødegaard’s exact words: “I challenge anyone to come away from a meeting with Arteta and not believe everything he tells you.” There are some pretty good liars in the world. There are a lot of people who believe their own hype but are unable to follow through. Our manager is not one of them. He delivers.
And the players know it. I did enjoy this from Declan Rice as he celebrated our title triumph, “They pointed and they laughed, they ain’t laughing now. I love this club and I love this manager”. He did not say that he loves the club and the team. I am sure he does, but he knows the manager is the linchpin. Arteta is the most valuable person at the club, and our most valuable player knows it.
Stand For Something, Or Fall For Anything
Mikel Arteta is a man of character. Character has, unfortunately, gone out of fashion. Indeed, it is seen as an old-fashioned idea. The sort of thing they had in the 1950s before society became more liberal and embraced freedom of individual expression. As many new attitudes were adopted (lots of them good!) the idea of ‘character’ was seen more as constraint to the new possibilities life held than a personal compass that would help one to navigate its increasing complexity. It got mixed up with other ideas of its time and was foolishly let go along with many attitudes more appropriately discarded. We lost the baby with the bathwater, much to our detriment. How many twitter threads have you seen discussing the value of character, in any context whatsoever? It might be good if there were a few more.
Now, perhaps there is an element of semantics to this. Many young people have a firm moral compass, even if they don’t think about the way they hold their personal ‘non-negotiables’ in terms of character. But, at its simplest, perhaps that is all character is? Defining what stuff in your life is ‘non-negotiable’ and then sticking to it. So few people manage this. It sounds simple but it is incredibly hard. We either don’t know what we stand for, and/or we are flexible about what we stand for, depending on what we could gain from ignoring it, or the level of hassle and hardship it would cause us to die on that hill. Unfortunately, that does not work; you either have character, or you don’t. You can’t turn it on and off.
For me, this has been a hard-won lesson, and an important one. When I was younger, I was quite wishy-washy about character. Especially about one aspect that Arteta spoke about in no uncertain terms even in his first presser: accountability. In my early twenties, I quite liked taking the credit for my good actions and finding excuses for my bad ones. As I got older, I realised that having my own creed and trying hard to stick to it was a personal necessity. I came to realise it was not the restriction I had imagined, but a path to a deeper freedom. For me, learning to take full accountability for my own actions has been a life-changing endeavour (and one which is still very much an on-going journey!)
It must then be said that I am fairly attuned to people who have their own codes and treat them as non-negotiable. It stands out to me. I aspire to be a person like this and admire those who are. Even those whose codes are completely different to my own. I might not like the goal – I may have reservations about the wisdom or compassion of someone who works hard with commitment to achieve something that makes the world worse – but I can, and do, respect the process. Having the courage of your convictions is rarely easy, whatever those convictions may be.
So, when Arteta gave his first press conference, I was sold. Of course, I kept a careful eye on his actions afterwards, to make sure that he followed through on what he said he was going to do. But I was not really worried. He looked into the eyes of the journos, and all of us watching and he laid out a vision. I believed it. It was laced with character. It was all about behaving a certain way and using the foundations of how we live to achieve our goals. “Every day is important. Every act is important.” Think about that. He was saying that every single act you take needs to be in-line with your goals. And when you live like that, even the goals themselves begin to shrink away. It is why I am not worried about us being mentally underprepared to defend our title. We have been trying to win a PL for four years. The way we have gone about that has gone far beyond the initial goal of winning a league – it has become who we are. You can’t turn that off. One goal leads to another. The work is never done. It is not about achieving something, it is about being something. If you truly are what you are trying to be, the trophies will come as an inevitability. He said it all along, didn’t he? Trust the process.
Empty Hands, Full Heart
I have a framed photograph of Mikel Arteta in my house. It is the only framed photo in my home that is not of a family member. I got it about three years ago. It is just him, alone, walking across the Emirates pitch, dressed in black, nothing in his hands. When I bought it, I was absolutely sure that in years to come, there would be many, many images of him holding trophies. But I did not want one of them. I already knew the thing that inspired me was not an image of a man who had followed his own vision with integrity and determination and emerged victorious. Instead, what spoke to me was an image of a man who was brave enough to follow his vision with integrity and determination when there was no guarantee of success. When the odds were stacked against him. Because it highlights a beautiful paradox; he chooses to live that way, but in order to be true to himself, he does not really have a choice. He lives the way he has to. If he does that fully and completely, then he has already won. Maybe not on the pitch, but in the much bigger game of life. Who could do more?
There is nothing fake about our manager. What you see is what you get. On a very fundamental level, Mikel Arteta is an embodiment of my vision of what it is to be a human being. Or, at least, to be a good one. Never mind his qualities as a football manager, I believe he is a good man.
That, for me, is such an important point, because it is where I differ from many (presumably the vast majority of) Arsenal fans. The fact that Mikel Arteta is, in my opinion, one of the three best football managers in the world (Pep and Enrique, since you asked) is almost incidental to why I value him. It is also why I’ve barely mentioned anything about his actual, and prodigious, skills as a manager. His understanding of football is above elite level. I do not believe you would need two hands to count the human beings on the planet who understand the beautiful game better than he does. I also believe he will win us more league titles and the Champions League.
But that is not what is most important to me about Mikel Arteta. He is essentially the perfect Arsenal manager. He wins major trophies. It may not be what is most important to me personally, but it is certainly right up there with the requirement of being Arsenal manager! But more than that, every day he does what Arsène asked of all of us, of all the Arsenal lovers – he takes care of the values of this club.
He knows what those values are. He lives by those values. He takes responsibility. That’s a neat summation of pretty much everything I aspire to be as a person. Of course I love him.
And he is one of us. He too, is an Arsenal lover. Of all the incredible and inspirational people in the world, this one shares my love of Arsenal. The thing that he pours himself into is the same thing that has been a fundamental part of my life since I was a little boy. All his hard work is to do something that makes me happy! We’ve all felt how strongly we can connect to anyone in the world in those moments when passion for our club bursts through. But it is rare indeed to feel that shared passion with a genius football manager whose impeccable personal qualities resonate deeply with who I am.
Arsène came along when I was still a boy. I looked up to him, but I was not yet a man myself (at least not when he started!) and so I could not appreciate his qualities in the same way as an adult could. And for all his fine qualities, Arsène had his blind spots. So does Arteta, but Arsène lacked his protégé’s fervent desire to correct his faults and learn from his mistakes. That stubborn streak only revealed itself over time and was not easy for me to grasp as young man with some good qualities of my own, but plenty of blind spots too.
I can see Mikel a bit more clearly. He is truly special, and he won’t be around forever. We will seriously miss him when he goes. How long until then? Well, who can say? He abruptly hung up his boots rather than play on, simply because he decided he had to be able to give everything at the highest level or it was not worth it. He will do the same thing when he leaves us. Whenever he does not have the energy for another season and he needs a break, he will just step away, regardless of how successful the previous season was. But we need to hang on to him until he is ready to call time.
Chapman, Wenger and Arteta are our three greatest managers. Time will tell who is the greatest, but I know who my money is on.
However, no matter how much he wins, to me personally, the man I admire most is not the multiple-trophy winning genius who scales new heights of glory at our club. It is the man with the empty hands and the twinkle in his eye who lives and breathes the values of this club.
Done and Dusted
So, yeah, that’s my tuppence worth. Although I suspect you’ve got quite good value from me for your modest outlay. Still, I think I’ve said what I needed to say. Cheers for sticking with it.
Given who I am, and who he is to me, of course I’ve always been on Mikel Arteta’s side. No choice, really.
I’m just glad he’s never asked me to run through a wall.
Until next time, ‘holics.
GSD ,
I’m so glad that you poured out your thoughts on Arteta so lucidly and intelligently. I know you have immense respect for him not just as a manager but as a man and this shines through in every word . It’s a terrific piece – Thankyou.
What I can’t quite grasp is why he inspires such animosity among rival supporters – brilliant coach, innovative thinker , handsome Spaniard with beautiful wife and family and now starting to achieve the success he deserves . It’s easy to see why people woukd be resentful!You sum him up so well GSD . Great stuff
Beautifully written GSD. We have been fortunate to have many good writers on this blog. This is right up there for a top five of articles written here. Bravo.
A superb paean for Mikel Arteta, GSD. Thank you.
MA8 comes across as a man with huge conviction and a clear goal who is determined not to be distracted from his objective. I sense that his commitment to our club is absolute. For whatever reason, he took a paycut to join the Arsenal when it was in desperate straits, and helped turn the club around to lead it, as captain, to silverware. He has now delivered an even greater renaissance as manager. I too admire him hugely. I can fully understand the players’ love for him as expressed by Declan Rice.
TTG is right to bring up the animosity towards MA8 the intensity of which initially surprised me. The mockery, carping and animosity from the sports media and opposition fans began early and has progressively grown. I don’t think that the acquisition of the title will cause it to dissipate. Mockery and antagonism are the responses that every ‘visionary’ must expect. It is increased by his openness, self-disclosure and honesty. Some of it is due simply to widespread Arsenal phobia and a recognition that here is a man who looks certain to turn the club around. Some of it is the common response of a pedestrian mind to a man with talent and drive who looks capable of achieving his goals. The latter is probably the reason for the negativity we hear from ‘Arsenal fans’, some of whom will persist with their antipathy despite the title. Stupidity is a terminal condition.
Bravo, GSD. Arteta has done an amazing job of galvanizing and turning around the whole club and you have captured so brilliantly the reasons for his effectiveness in the short time he has been here. I think you are correct that he is one of our handful of greatest managers so I feel privileged to have observed his entire tenure to this point, and can only pray that his tenure will continue for quite some time with an equally high level of dynamism and drive toward trophies and uniting the people he brings into the club.
Bravo, Dino. You have produced one of the most rounded and thoughtful portraits of Arteta I have read, and certainly the most elegantly written. A tour de force, worthy of a wider readership and, as C100 says @2, a place in the pantheon of the best pieces published here.
I appreciate that you at least acknowledge the risks of character-driven leadership not being exercised for a just cause. We are blessed that, in our club’s case, it is.
I will also narrow your list of Arsenal’s greatest managers to Chapman and Arteta, whom I would argue are two sides of the same coin.
There is a story about a not particularly distinguished left-half, George Male, responding to a summons from Chapman and entering the manager’s office believing he would be told he was being sold. Chapman, in fact, saw Male as the unlikely solution to the team’s full-back problem. Male left Chapman’s office convinced not only that he could play right-back but also that he was the best right-back in England, which he indeed went on to be in the all-conquering 30s’ team that ran through walls for Chapman.
Man delighted to see the acclaim for GSD’s wonderful piece .
It’s so good to revel in positivity and achievement. I watched a Le Grove podcast last night . Halfway through I had to switch off such was the negativity and criticism of Arteta for a) ‘ breaking ‘ our players b) removing the medical team so he could pursue a more aggressive line in training and conditioning and c) not getting a deep enough squad in place to take on next season/ Quote – ‘ Top 4 may be a problem ‘
Can these people not see the trajectory of our achievements under Mikel and the quality of player we are seeking to add . If we really are looking at the likes of Rogers, Guimaraes, Alvarez and Tzolis we will be extremely strong next season albeit that we have some players who are in need of healing . And that’s because of the ridiculous schedule for top players not solely the approach of Arteta
TTG@6: At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man (moi?), I think a lot of the naysaying comes from people with no experience of the vicitudes of managing any enterprise in real life, let alone the outlier organisations that are football clubs. The old saw about piss-ups in a brewery comes to mind.
Also, is there any evidence to support the extraordinary assertion of point b)?
Chelsea has signed Morgan Rogers for £117 million.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c0ej1jyy8yyo
We can only hope that the ‘he is Arsenal’s No 1 target’ rumours were a Berta smoke screen and that the curse of Mudryk strikes a second time.
Wow Chavski get Rogers for 117 million
An interesting choice for Rogers. Chelsea finished 10th, won no cups and do not have European football next year.
The Athletic says it’s a verbal agreement between Chelsea and Villa, so still to be signed and sealed. Many a slip, and all that…
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6390212/2026/07/18/morgan-rogers-chelsea-transfer-aston-villa-future/
Signing a six-year deal as a 23-year-old is committing your career to Alonso’s project at a club with one of the fast-spinning revolving doors in football management. Hashtag Brave or Foolhardy?
And I see Tuchel has not missed the opportunity to run Rice and Saka a little further into the ground, picking both to start against France. For Rice, it will be his 70th — count them, 70th — game of the past 12 months.
Excellent piece, Dino. You absolutely nailed it. Agree with the commentators above. This is one of the best pieces we have had. In perfectly describing the depth of character of Arteta your own depth of character shines through. I’m sure there’s a word for that. Until I remember what it is, a simple “ thank you” will have to suffice, Dino.
Ned
In answer to your question about point b there is absolutely no evidence I have seen or would believe ! The Rogers news will be perfect fuel for the idiots who fly off the handle at any news that appears negative
And Declan scores!
6-4 win for England! I watched the last 15 minutes or so and it looked like a friendly. Nice for Bukayo to get his hat trick and pleasing to see a little stutter kick thrown-in for free before sending Maignan (when will keepers be booked for excessive gamesmanship? It was the wrong way. A meaningless game and no need to read much into it.
I just watched Saka assert “I’m fit, I’m fit” in his post-match interview when asked how is his condition. And noticed Rice and Saliba chatting happily after the game despite reports of their imminent demise. Perhaps a top 4 finish is on, but don’t tell Le Grove 😉
Thanks GSD, a very enjoyable piece in praise of a great manager!
Hadn’t heard the Declan Rice “they ain’t laughing now” quote and
loved that too.
Well, that was very entertaining and nice to see the Arsenal boys to the four.
TTG@14: I suspected as much. It is the sort of baseless allegation that can’t be left unchallenged; otherwise, in the modern way, it will gain credence through repetition.
I suspect in a real game, France would have played as they did in the second half against England for the full 90. Four-two to France. You saw why Spain felt they had to throw the blanket of control over them.
It wasn’t great to see Rice being the first England player to drop to the ground exhausted at the final whistle, but it was nice to see him get a goal (more of those in the league next season, please) and Bukayo get a hat-trick (ditto). I thought Eze played well, too, but he is not going to dislodge Bellingham from the England team.
Dino, I am compelled to use a word I never really otherwise do – Bravo ! A special article that requires special acclaim. Interesting that so many other comments have opted for the same acclaim. A superb piece.
As someone who works closely and intimately with people all the time, I was delighted and impressed to see so much of what you wrote concentrates on Mikel Arteta’s personal, human qualities. They are precisely what enables, and compels, him to be the person and the manager that he is.
Football fortunes are fickle. Opportunities in the game are often fleeting. We are so fortunate that the universe brought Arteta’s and Arsenal’s oscillations into unison exactly when they did. Long may it continue.
In other news, I’ve just had a week of not being very well followed by a week of being extra busy trying to catch up with everything I had to cancel. As a result I was very late in getting to read Q&A articles 2 and 3. So, many thanks to TTG for organising, and to all the responders for a couple of interesting and enjoyable articles. The responses were all very different in length and depth but all the more interesting for it.
Le Grove ? Never been a fan. Remained suspicious even when he went all positive for a while. Thank god Arteta’s character, belief and commitment are the polar opposite of his.
I tried reading him for a while on recommendations in here. No thanks !
Good piece from She Wore on transfer priorities.
Trev@20: Hope you are over whatever ailed you.
In the latest news from the people’s game:
Spokespeople for SeatGeek told The Athletic on Thursday that the average price of World Cup final tickets purchased on their site was $12,751, more than $2,000 higher than the previous record set by the 2024 Super Bowl.
Ned – fine thanks – it was very unpleasant but thankfully brief.
My sense in terms of transfers is that Berta’s methodology is to line up multiple deals ( thereby setting hares running in the media ) and then rationalising them as we look at the most urgent needs . For example until Willie Saliba went down in the Spain semi- final we looked unlikely to buy an expensive defender . But it may be a priority now given the susceptibility of White, Calafiori and Timber to injury .
I was excited by the Rogers transfer possibility because he has looked very impressive when I’ve seen him and he had a decent World Cup. But Berta has several plates spinning and there will be an alternative he considers preferable , especially if we have to invest in another defender . The excess £25 million above what we considered to be Rogers’ valuation might well be enough to bring in the next Mosquera or Tomiyasu. I’m not going to abandon faith in the Arteta / Berta model when it brought us a title and a Champions League Final . But we may see a switch in the mix of purchases driven either by necessity ( injuries ) or opportunity or a revision of priorities .
I’d say there might be a higher likelihood of Kroupi or Alvarez landing , that Guimaraes is still a possibility and that we might see Scott, Wharton or Kone joining in midfield . If we focus on a defender Konsa might be a possibility but I’d not be heartbroken if we acquired DJed Spence unlikely as that seems to. That boy definitely has real quality and character and is wasted at the Spuds .
Cheers all. I’m glad that went down well. It seemed the right time of year for a long piece about Arteta which wasn’t particularly focused on football, and your kind words are much appreciated.
A reminder that Djed Spence played with Emile Smith Rowe at Junior Elite FC in South East London. Spence at 24 is a year younger than ESR.
Notable Junior Elite Graduates (Pros)
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Wilfried Zaha
Victor Moses
Emile Smith Rowe
Djed Spence
Trev@24: 👍
TTG@25: Spence could be a very smart addition at the right price. He can play at both left and right back, he would free up Calafiori, Hincapié, Timber or White to play centre-half if needed and his indefatigable willingness to overlap on the left would balance our attack. He turns 26 next month, so coming into his prime years but still coachable. You’re right that he is wasted at the wrong end of the Seven Sisters Road, but then who isn’t?
Countryman @21. Usually the pieces linked in here by Keenos are sensible, but I don’t rate this one at all.
His headline puts “no longer a priority” in quotation marks, when at no point in the article does he suggest he’s quoting anyone.
He makes the unfounded assumption that Arsenal are not prioritising an attacker, when this is just his opinion he is claiming as fact and pretending is a quote. Not a promising start.
“And ultimately, a left winger (or forward in general) is not a priority right now.” (Note to all, here I am using quotation marks because I am quoting directly from his article – cos, y’know, that’s what they are for).
My opinion is that he is completely wrong about this and that our incoming transfer business will bear this out. I would be amazed if we do not add a top level forward or wide player before the window ends. If we do not manage to do so, I imagine it will be after failing in efforts to sign multiple targets along the lines of Rogers, Alvarez, Barcola, Kroupi etc. Not because the club thinks it is not a priority.
His argument about the number of players we have in certain positions is disingenuous and deliberately misleading. He lists Merino as an attacker, when in reality he is an auxiliary centre forward option but otherwise should be classified as a midfielder. (I’ll assume his “In midfield we have just 4 players for 4 positions” is a typo and he means 2 positions).
We may also see more of Odegaard in a deeper role and it would certainly be an option if needed. Seems ridiculous not to allow this whilst simultaneously claiming Merino is an attacker. I reckon seeing Odegaard at 8 is more likely than seeing Merino on the wing, no?
He caveats MLS for his inexperience but not Dowman, continuing to twist interpretation beyond reason to suit his argument. I see no reason to take his guesses about the fitness of players (White, Rice, Saliba, Timber) as fact, nor why he should claim them as such. How hard is it to say something honest like “White MAY not be fit to start the season”? It’s not like it would massively weaken his point, but by asserting that he won’t be, he completely loses me as a reader because there is no way he can know that for sure.
I have not heard a single Arsenal fan make the case that we should sign a top level left winger because we are short on numbers. It has always been seen as a way to raise the ceiling because none of our current LW options are truly elite. So it’s just wrong to say that swapping Trossard for Tzolis has remedied that concern. I’m excited about the Tzolis signing, but it has been reported heavily and agreed by all tier one journos that this deal will not impact our search for another top option. Why has he just ignored this?
Where i agree with him is that Norgaard is not someone we want to rely on, so we do need a midfielder. Although I would not completely ignore Norgaard and Rice (and Merino and Odegaard) when counting midfield numbers so I can claim we only have 3 options. Because that’s obviously disingenuous… at best.
I also think we need numbers in defence. I’ve already made my argument for signing 2 fullbacks. And a central defender.
I just don’t see the logic in making a bunch of false claims about what our intentions are. Or why he’d think that the fact we need to strengthen in defence and midfield means we aren’t prioritising attack.
In this specific instance, what I think happened is that Chelsea put together a package worth more than we thought Rogers is worth and we decided not to match it. Fine. Let’s see what we do with the money we didn’t spend on Rogers, and not pretend we are privy to the club’s reasoning, when the best we can do is make logical inferences, many of which will be wrong.
Very well argued GSD. That’s Keenos told!
Re transfers, Rogers etc
I think you have to put our ‘failure’ (not quote marks – purely for my own implied meaning) to sign Morgan Rogers purely down to the idea that Berta / Arteta didn’t think he was worth what Chelsea are paying. I saw an interview reported last week where Josh Kroenke said that price was not the issue – raising quality was the criterion by which potential transfers would be judged. He reportedly said that if it meant paying £200m for the right player then they would give it every consideration – I.e. not rule it out. That, of course, is quite different to saying we will pay whatever it takes just to beat another club to a player we are interested in.
Rogers was always a gamble signing for Arsenal, because we already have decent cover in the positions he takes up. He would not even be a guaranteed starter at Arsenal. We need to prioritise other positions. Keep our powder dry.
Spot on, SP @33.
Yeah, wot SP said. Also I saw Spence play several times for the spuds
last season and thought he couldn’t defend particularly well – not really
fair I know as he was surrounded by many other men who couldn’t defend
well either but I’d always be hesitant to buy anyone on the back of
international performances.
Also, while I am being a negative so and so I wouldn’t want Alvarez at
that money either, not saying he’s a bad player just not at that level.
Over to you Mr Berta, I’m easy to please so shouldn’t be too difficult 😃
Pleased for Zubi that he got on the pitch for the Spain win,
happy for Mikel Merino too of course. Didn’t see the game
but the Argentinians were their usual charmless selves by
all accounts so it’s nice Spain won, and they seem to have
deserved it from what little I saw of the tournament
I thought that the Argentinians excelled themselves in the charmlessness stakes, with Enzo Fernandez and Leandro Paredes in the vanguard.
In their last three games, ie, v Belgium in the quarters, France in the semis and Argentina in the final, three teams with some decent forwards, Spain allowed their opponents 17 shots in total (just four on target) and an average xG of less than 0.3. That is controlling games at an elite level.
Argentina got exactly what their anti-football deserved. Now that Messi is pretty much unable to run, they’re just a South Atlantic Stoke.
Good points Matt and Ned. Paredes was clearly sent on to add to the thuggery and really should have seen red within 10 minutes of his arrival. Argentina came over as a snarling group of villains and Alvarez’s regular habit of pushing running opponents in the back demonstrated that he was no better than the rest of them. He wouldn’t get away with that in an Arsenal shirt and I wouldn’t want him unless he was offered at a bargain basement price and was desperate to join the Arsenal.
Blogs was good on the World Cup in todays piece
OM@40: Thanks for the heads up on Blogs. He was absolutely on the money about the Americanisation of the game.
In case ‘holics would like one last opportunity to give FIFA some more spondulix, pieces of the World Cup final pitch are available for $3,000 each. Infantino’s attention to money-making detail is unsurpassed. The sod.
@41 quite agree with your last sentence Ned. He should be turfed out immediately
OM@42: Hopefully, someone will grass him up…
OM@40 Blog’s piece has a link to Merino mocking the orange blob. I love this Arsenal team more and more every day.
Cut the crap, fellas.
RIP, Kevin Keegan, another one taken by cancer too young.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c20z4d87vp3o
Keegan was a significant figure in English football . A fine player who was a notable success in German football . Ballon D’Or winner twice , England captain and the manager who revived Newcastle, his absence from the 1982 World Cup team affected an unbeaten England team’s chances .
He was very critical of his own performance as England manager . He was also responsible for increased sales of Brut . He was a hero in two English football hotbeds
A cautionary tale to take to heart:
https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cn5n4rxyz3wo
RIP Kevin Keegan. An exciting player who built the most exciting team I saw visit Highbury in the mid 90’s. How I would have just loved it too had they beaten Manure to the title.
I was just passing by and bang that’s the 50!
Well in OM, and RIP Kevin Keegan who I best remember for his 1970s hairstyle which is not something that I have seen oft repeated since that time.
Hello all.
I wrote a bit about character in the post above, and perhaps the point I am about to make should have gone without saying, but I want to make it explicit.
I think the thing that drew me to Dave’s bar and the drinks was his character. The way he dealt with disagreements and enforced the rules (iron hand, velvet glove) was exemplary. He had a moral authority that came in part from wisdom and compassion, in part from taking no funny business (absolutely non-negotiable!), and in part from, well, just being Dave. Some people are just a bit special, and he was one of them.
His approach to Arsenal, how he thought about the club and the prism through which he viewed it immediately rang true for me. We now try to maintain this place in his honour, a part of which is thoughtful discussion and reasoned criticism where appropriate, but none of the toys out of pram nonsense so prevalent elsewhere. Dave did not think that was the way to support your team. Clearly, we agreed.
If I took three thousand words to talk about Mikel, a man I have never met, it would be daft not to take a few to point out that Dave’s quiet and unassuming leadership was so inspiring that years after he passed, we all still try to live up to the standards he set.
That is pretty rare, and well worth celebrating.
Cheers, Dave. With all my love.
Well observed, Dino @52.
I’ve been thinking a bit about Ethan. In pre-season and the early start of the season, if he stays with us (which i very much hope he does) then he should get some opportunities. Perhaps in midfield, as the 10 or on the right wing. If using him on the right wing in the short-term gives Saka some more time off then i like the sound of it.
However, Arteta has suggested before that his finishing is good enough that he could play striker and i am wondering whether we should not convert him to the role. He won’t get immediate chances, as Gyokeres and Havertz should both be fine to start the season, but in the longer term (especially if we buy a LW rather than a striker) then i think there is a real opening in the position. It would get him out of direct competition with Saka and Dowman. England too, are in dire need of a player to replace Harry Kane and there are no obvious candidates. Saka only plays right wing because that was where the opening came when he was young and malleable.
Could Ethan develop into a player with some of the Julian Alvarez, Alexis Sanchez or Kun Aguero in him? Not a tall striker, but a strong one, with skill, clever running, a wicked shot and an ability to drop deeper? I think that would suit us massively and the timeline fits. If he learns the role for a year or two (with plenty of gametime as we can’t have the other 2 playing every match) then he can be ready to be first-choice by the time we move on Big Vik, Kai or both.
I am really talking myself into it, what do people think?
Well in for the half-ton, OM.
Dino@52: Well said.
GSD@54: I am surprised that more footballers don’t change position during their careers. Many of their core skills are transferable. My earlier tale about Chapman switching George Male from left half to right back is just one instance of a successful switch, if an early one. Wenger turned Lauren from a midfielder into a wonderful right back, overcoming Lauren’s own scepticism about the change. Maitland-Niles resisted his manager’s attempts to convince him to play as a full back instead of a midfielder, probably to the detriment of his career, certainly to his Arsenal one.
When young players do take on a new position, it is often to capitalise on a first-team opening. Bukayo and MLS would be prime examples. Bukayo would, of course, return to being a winger, and MLS will likely revert to midfield, but both have benefited from playing a different role.
Managers will probably be better judges of a player’s best position than the player himself. If Arteta thinks it could happen in Nwaneri’s case, then it is likely an idea that should be taken seriously. You list some of the attributes he would bring. However, Martinelli has long been talked of as the sort of centre-forward that you describe Nwaneri could be, so many a slip, and all that.
GSD @54. I agree about Nwaneri. But I would also point out that many have said that Martinelli would make a more than decent striker. For Brazil he played at left 8 (or inside left in old money) and was pretty effective there, albeit in an ineffective team. Time to reconsider Martinelli’s role?
Another £25m per year in the old skyrocket as Emirates substantially increase their stadium and shirt naming rights.
https://x.com/denver_afc/status/2079533341926191282?s=61&t=cVFjCyGkt4y-Ne45LtfqkQ
C100@57: Inside left is the appropriate term to use now that top teams seek to attack in an old-fashioned formation of five at the front, three in midfield in support and two holding a high line at the back. 5-3-2 redux.
Chip of the old block quits Sp*rs and joins his Dad’s old club
Ned@56 – TH14?
PG@61: Absolutely. I guess the twist with TH14 was not just that AW converted him from winger to striker, but also that the striker’s role was refined to suit TH14’s talents (and those of DB10 alongside him). I don’t think of Henry as a 9 in the tradition of buccaneering Arsenal centre-forwards. He was more a Jimmy Greaves-like inside forward, a goal-scoring 10 rather than a playmaking 8, to borrow C100’s old-money analogy (yes, I know Greaves wore 8 and John White wore 10 when they were with the neighbours, but you know what I mean).
Interesting posts above relating to positional changes
Two of our best centre backs – Mclintock and Simpson – began life as what we then called wing halves. PG and Ned point out correctly how we tweaked Henry’s position to suit his key attributes and emerged with possibly the best Premier League player of all time . Wenger also converted Emmanuel Petit from a left back into one of the most effective box to box midfielders I have ever seen. Bukayo Saka began his first team career as a full back although his early football had been played on the wing.
And then we had Granit Xhaka – those with reasonably long memories will recall my regular diatribes about Granit as a holding midfielder . Despite his obvious attributes , especially a wand of a left foot we regularly ran into trouble in playing out from the back until Arteta converted him into a left 8 who was extremely effective for us, for Leverkusen, for Sunderland and for Switzerland .
So Nwaneri as a striker or a false 9 is an idea certainly worth trying. Of all last season’s purchases the one who frustrates me the most is Madueke and the idea of paying £58 m for him and selling Ethan for say £30 m is not logical . Ethan’s versatility may be his main issue. He’s good in a number of roles so where do we play him ? I’d like to see him tried centrally in an offensive role . Strikers nowadays don’t play nearly as much with their back to goal and his touch is certainly slicker than Gyokeres’s . And if that fails we always have Mikel Merino !
TTG&63- I have always thought the main problem holding Nwaneri back is his apparent sullenness. He has lots of talent, but he has to understand it’s not all about him. Compare and contrast with MLS. He waited for his opportunity and took it when it came. As opposed to Nwaneri taking a loan move to a basket case club with a manager with a history of falling out with everyone from the chairman to the tea lady. What could possibly have gone wrong?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>