North Bank Ned had earlier welcomed the 2021-22 season with a masterful preview recalling the history of Arsenal-Brentford encounters, most of which had taken place in the inter-war years, and the Bees had enjoyed a rather inexplicable superiority of results in this rare London derby over their much illustrious rivals. Their last match in the top division of English league was though an 1-0 loss against the Gunners, merely 74 years ago.
Promoted back to the uppermost echelons, a well-organized, brave and progressive Brentford squad was expected to provide a competent enough challenge to Arsenal in the league season-opener to require the Gunners to play with clarity of purpose and confidence in their abilities to earn a much-needed victory, especially given the schedule in the opening weeks.
I had not watched much of Brentford in the last year’s Championship but did see the play-off final. For all their evident strengths and positive style of football, before the match I thought the Arsenal team has enough quality, experience and nous to be able to surely win against the league newcomers. More wise heads in this blog were less certain about the outcome given the inconsistency and lack of cutting edge of the current Arsenal vintage. And they were proven right. The most worrying aspect in all of that is, after the match I felt that I really don’t have any rights to expect anything different anymore from this Arsenal team. And when I say the “team”, I don’t just mean the players, I mean the entire collective of the playing squad, the manager, his coaching staff, the strategic direction at the executive level … the overall contour of the Arsenal Football Club. I can no longer enthuse myself to expect anything different or better than what we witnessed away at a newly promoted side.
Back to the match.
Before the start we came to know that the senior striker duo of Lacazette and captain Aubameyang are both unavailable through illness. The next-in-line – at least until he is sold or loaned out – Eddie Nketiah was already nursing an injury sustained in the pre-season. The highly promising Folarin Balogun earned his first league start. On his left was Gabriel Martinelli, returning recently from Tokyo with an Olympic gold medal, and on his right was Nicolas Pépé, who had finished last season a series of strong performances. Two of the three new signings of the season too earned their first Arsenal starts — much discussed Ben White partnering Mari in the center of the defense and Sambi Lokonga working in tandem with Xhaka in the engine room.
Leno
Chambers White Mari Tierney
Lokonga Xhaka
Pépé ESR Martinelli
Balogun
As the game unfolded it was alarming to observe that Arsenal has carried forward many of the weaknesses of last season: the needless passing around in the back and losing cool under high press, lack of concerted pressing by the forward line, and most tellingly lack of penetration through the middle through Emile Smith Rowe did his best to break through lines, carry the ball forward and arrive at the opposition penalty box.
The overall speed and intent of passing in the midfield was indeed much better compared to last season, and young Sambi Lokonga playing a key role in that. Energetic, intelligent, positive with a good mix of physical and technical strength, he stood out in the early stages and along with Emile was key in keeping possession of the ball and venturing forward in the opposition final third. The horseshoe Arteta-ball was still very much in view, but the switching of play and movement of the ball was much quicker and purposeful. Ben White too contributed to that with his forward passes, pinging balls to Tierney and Pépé on few occasions. There were glimpses of cohesiveness worked on in the practice ground.
However, those were not nearly enough. The strange lopsidedness of the attack continued from last season, with Tierney as a primary attacking outlet with Gabi offering him space by drifting inside. On the right side Chambers had one of his more forgettable games, rarely offering any overlapping run on the outside of Pépé who too was for the most part reenacted his “I will frustrate myself and everyone else” role – always surrounded by 2-3 defenders time and again he chose to take them on to be able to cut inside. Brentford was well prepared for this danger and they handed him well. Only later in the game in the second half he started drifting more inside to attack the box off the ball, and improved his combination play with ESR and later Saka.
Chambers had mostly done well in his defensive duties last season. But he was twice in fault for the first goal Arsenal conceded in the 22nd minute. His volleyed clearance was poor and found a Brentford attacker just outside the box. And then when Sergi Canos cut inside the box he didn’t force him to go outside of him but stayed stationary and the Brentford winger gleefully accepted the opportunity to shoot through his legs to score past Leno in his near post. Leno too was partially culpable, just as any top-level goalkeeper should feel to be beaten at their near post.
Brentford 1 (Canos 22) – Arsenal 0
The goal should have woken Arsenal up. Strangely – or maybe no longer strangely as this has often been a familiar pattern lately, most dreadful demonstration of which came against Villareal last season in both legs of the Europa semifinal tie – Arsenal did not up their tempo or urgency, simply carrying on as before. There is a not-so-fine balance between staying patient and trusting your abilities to score goals and not showing any urgency in your response to going behind. Arsenal have recently erred too much on the side of passivity. This match was no different.
Arsenal earned a few corners. Pépé’s deliveries were good – especially compared to the bizarre corner routines of last season – but the team didn’t show enough aggression or desperation to attack the ball, or use the flick-to-the-far-post variation. The only moment of danger came from a Martinelli header that if anyone had gambled to attack on the far post would have earned us a goal. Raya, the Brentford goalkeeper, was assured in commanding the box as well and their defense was impressively well-organized.
Raya made two very good saves: ESR once broke through the lines in a swift counter-attack and arrived at the box and his shot was palmed away by Raya. Emile lost his balance a bit before taking the shot and his placement was not probably what he wanted, but it was nonetheless a good save. Towards the end of the match Raya pulled out a sensational save from a fierce curled daisy-cutter from Pépé after being set up by a wonderful cut-back by Tierney. That was Arsenal’s moment of the match.
Xhaka’s volley from just inside the box flew by, Lokonga tried his luck few times from distance and though Raya was called to save one or two of those he was not really in danger of conceding. Arteta brought in Saka, Reiss Nelson and the other new boy Tavares (astonishingly, or may be not so astonishingly, at the right back to replace Chambers with Hector and Cedric on the bench). I liked his cameo, direct and purposeful. Nelson looked rusty, understandably so after spending much of the last season out of the squad sacrificed to accommodate a big signing from a rival club.
In between Brentford scored a goal reminiscent of another team in red-and-white stripes, now thankfully relegated from the premier league to leave all creative minded players with much less fear about losing their limbs on the playing ground. A towel to dry the ball before throw-in? Check. A long throw-in in the box? Check. Fouling the goalkeeper to stop him from moving? Check. Arsenal defense fell for this most agricultural old trick, Pablo Mari particularly at fault in not judging the problem and not reacting quickly to the situation, and Norgaard happily accepted the gift. It was a foul on Leno, but an international goalkeeper and an experienced center-back of a PL team should really not allow this to unfold.
Brentford 2 (Canos 22, Norgaard 73) – Arsenal 0
Though there were some positive signs – Lokonga and ESR particularly, Tierney as ever, White & Pépé in glimpses, Saka in his cameo as expected – the overall feeling watching the match was one of ennui and pointlessness. Watching your team poorly or losing football matches are ineluctable moments in the spectrum of a football fan’s experience. But driving fans to boredom while losing football matches is something I feel a club aspiring to return to a stature that is commensurate with its great history must learn to avoid.
Arsenal football club is running the risk of drifting into complete irrelevance in the top tier of European and English football. But it is not yet too late.
Appreciate the write up Doctor.
Results like these make it particularly challenging to remain optimistic, but maybe being slapped in the face on the first game of the season is exactly what Arteta needs (not placing the entirety of blame on him but he’s the one who has to find a way to fix this through implementing a different system surely.)
Anyhow, whiskeys for anyone sitting at the bar, I’m buying.
Great report Dr.F as you have refused the opportunity to be hysterically critical, indulged in by many Gooners over the last twenty four hours , but you have highlighted the key problems .
I was terribly depressed by the result, performance and above all the failure to prepare. Arteta was comprehensively outcoached and we were driven back by a committed side. We had no luck on marginal decisions but we weren’t remotely unlucky . Given Brentford’s style and the inevitable adrenalin rush on an emotional night we might have anticipated a high press, long, high balls and massive commitment . Setting up with a back three would have been better in hindsight , sparing White a torrid high-ball going over by Toney. Losing three strikers made life very difficult but why end without a striker on the field after seventy minutes when chasing the game ? The Villareal false nine experiment was an aberration that should never be repeated.
Arteta got almost everything wrong and one senses he is deeply frustrated at the pace of
re-jigging the team . I have more faith in Arteta than Edu who I believe is woefully ill-equipped to negotiate through very tricky situations to provide Arteta with a competitive team. But if that team features someone as limited as Xhaka in a pivotal role, an inadequate right back ( whoever we play) and a goalkeeper who is fragile and error-prone it doesn’t much matter who we sign . My pre-season optimism is dwindling and the thought of being rock bottom after three games which is almost certain , will add enormous pressure to Arteta’s situation. Exactly what we hoped to avoid
Excellent execution of a testing match report to write, Dr F. Like TTG, I am glad you dipped your pen in the inkwell of sorrow rather than anger. Your insight into the performance is as acute as ever.
My key takeaway from the game is that if the style of football that Arteta wants to play is going to work (measured simply by winning games), then we have to have a predatory striker of peak-Auba quality and the three attacking midfielders behind him scoring goals. I find it incredible that we got off 22 shots against Brentford, though that is what the Opta stats say, apparently the most in a game under Arteta. However, we got only four on target and only one, Pepe’s late daisy cutter, that needed a top save from Raya. That is not going to win anyone matches.
Thanks Dr. F for a well measured report, striking much the same tone as ‘holic would after such a disappointing outing. And welcome Mondo, your generosity is appreciated. Here’s to happier days to come. When they do.
Thanks Dr F!
And cheers Mondo🥃!
A fine report Dr F. I was fortunate in missing most of this game as I was travelling back from the cricket at Lords, but your report tells me I missed nothing but a reprise of many games last year. It is but early days, but Arteta has much work to do on the training pitch and just over two weeks to complete this squad via transfers or loans.
Welcome Mondo – and first in as well!
Welcome Mondo, , you’ll find no shortage of willing takers for your kind offer at this bar, nor a shortage of those happy to reciprocate.
Excellent report Dr F. One has to ask exactly what Arteta coaches during the week. On the strength of performances, the answer seems to be “same as last week” which seems to prefigure the rest of the footballing world changing to accommodate us rather than us figuring out a way to play good football and win games. And we are now in to our second set piece coach in 2 seasons to no perceptible benefit. Can I suggest, if anyone knows the current incumbent, please tell them that it’s a good idea to watch a few games of the opposition in advance. It often helps preparation of ones own team to know what is coming. Stop me if I’m going too fast for you, Mr Set Piece….
Cheers Doc
I must say, I struggle to remember a time when as a club we looked more clueless. As TTG said above, Arteta was out coached and out thought. We were very much second best on the night. It was embarrassing and totally unacceptable. We seem to be totally rudderless, from the very top, to the very bottom.
The fact that Xhaka marched out wearing the armband probably told you all you need to know. A player that the vast majority would happily drive to the airport and was heading to Italy only weeks ago is now back as a stand on captain and about to sign a new contract???
As with many above, I have very little faith in Edu. I accept it’s been a long time since we have dined at the top table, but we just seem to be falling further and further behind. No doubt we will hopefully try and bring in additions, but I have little faith in the ability of those in control to manage our transfer dealings. All sorts of rumours doing the rounds about both PEA and Laca. Are they both out of the door? It’s a total mess
I will be at the Chelsea game next week. I can’t think of a game ever where I have had as little enthusiasm to attend. If we play like we did on Friday then it could rapidly get very toxic.
Good report Dr F written well using ‘your pen dipped in the inkwell of sorrow rather than anger’ (kudos Ned); that’s pretty rare in these times of bile spewing.
The absence of quality in goal, RB and LCB was particularly concerning from a defensive point of view. Absence of potency from the front three wasn’t too surprising. There is much more to come, with time, from Balogun and Martinelli. Lokonga, ESR, Saka and Tierney and hopefully White, remain the main reasons to be hopeful. I’d be pleased to see Odegaard return this week.
An excellent report, Dr F, of an execrable performance. Your report and many comments in the Drinks sum up my feelings about this match so I will not add to the pervading gloom.
The club does appear to be in a huge mess off and on the park. It takes years and gross incompetence to go from where we were (even 5 years ago) to where we now stand. I await signs of change.
Welcome and thanks for the drink, Mondo. What’ll you have, yourself?
Dr F, thanks for a great report following a poor match by Arsenal. I remain one of the few on here who don’t expect much from Arteta going by his extended performance since the previous season.
Back to the players, why is Odegaard( just like Ceballos before him) so highly regarded by many on here despite his average output in Arsenal colours? Which decent midfielder/forward is he similar to? Other clubs and fans don’t seem to rate him either. Or is it because the manager, who favours players by how much they run around in training, rates him highly. IMO, it would have made more sense to keep a proven academy goal scoring midfielder like Willock to address our poor goal scoring deficiency than give minutes to the Willians and Odegaards of this world.
kadigah,
I hope you are wrong about the sale of Joe Willock but don’t necessarily think you are wrong. Time will tell but selling THE sensation of last season’s final two months of the league season doesn’t strike me as the right move, and reminds me of another similar decision we made with Emiliano Martinez.
In a little over an hour we may get to see Joe’s latest goal scoring exploits for Newcastle against the Hammers. If so the week’s score line will be recorded as Willock 1 Arsenal 0.
Last season Joe Willock scored 8 goals whilst on loan at Newcastle. That is 2 more than Partey, ESR, Willian, Ødegaard, Xhaka, Ceballos and Elneny combined.
Good luck young man. I hope it all works out for you.
Cheer up, folks. We’ve made great progress over the past 24 hours. Off the bottom of the table and out of the relegation zone. If we can just keep not playing we’ll be top of the league in no time.
A belated welcome, Mondo. One on the bar for you in return.
For what it’s worth……..
On the first tee today I learned from a ‘man in the know’ that Auba had a big party in his home on the night before the Brentford game. MA8 found out about it, exploded, harsh words were shared and Auba and Laca suddenly developed an illness that rendered them unavailable on Friday night.
Didn’t prevent me from hitting my ball straight down the middle 260 – but I missed the putt on the green wondering why Xhaka wasn’t invited.Sh…….it happens.
Wow. If that is true it’s absolutely outrageous. And it removes all the blame from the manager and places it full square on the players shoulders.
And if it is true, then it shows that it doesn’t matter how much rope you give some players, how supportive of them you are when they have domestic issues, at the end of the day a wrong’un will always be a wrong’un.
If…..
Thanks all, I appreciate your welcomes—I commented on the old site with the dear guv a few times but mostly just read the blog and the drinks for my daily dose of optimism and absurdity (CBA), it always helped me—Anyway I think I’ll just have a Bourbon and a lager Bath.
Though it’s just the first game, I’m having great difficulty imagining a scenario where Arteta turns this around with the system of play that he seems attached to (too rigid?). Maybe there is still a sliver of hope, but the fact that he’s had some time to work with the players but nothing seems to have changed makes me doubt.
The story re Auba is deeply disconcerting BtM—I try not to react too strongly to hearsay (even well sourced), but if true what’s the solution?
Sell them both for practically nothing, and probably subsidize their wages because most teams in Europe are broke? Sack Arteta after the first game of the season? I just don’t know.
I’m really trying not to be a downer as a new bar patron but I’m just finding it difficult to find faith with the management, owners, most if not all senior players.
That said, the absolute bright lights of course are the younger players, and I’ll try to imagine a scenario where they raise the team almost in spite of the structure that’s supposed to support them, but it’s a big ask.
Apologies for the pessimism, I promise I’ll return to a sunnier disposition in the next post hehe
BtM. You’ve come out with some utter garbage over the years but I’m not having any of that at all. Total fabrication. They’re is no way you’ve hit a ball 260, straight down the middle of a fairway.
🤔
BtM, if your source is accurate, that is egregious lack of professionalism from an experienced player and even more so from a captain. It puts Xhaka’s v-sign to the fans firmly in the shade.
If that’s what’s happened, we are in an even bigger mess than I thought.
Petit sees it all happening much as we do it appears. https://metro.co.uk/2021/08/15/arsenal-news-emmanuel-petit-fires-transfer-warning-mikel-arteta-brentford-15095675/?ito=newsnow-feed
A belated thanks Dr F for a thoughtful analytical match report that was best left for some hours to ruminate over – there was nothing to disagree with.
The situation at the club is not good at the moment, players seem still to be ill at ease with what they should be doing and appear to lack that spark necessary at this level. The Bees had it in abundance and much to my consternation the enemy down the road showed it as well in beating the Oilers earlier this afternoon. It seems as if the players are not buying into Arteta’s project – quite possibly the “illnesses” of Auba & Laca are a fall out of this. It’s quite worrying as to what is going on behind the scenes at the club right now.
Xhaka wasn’t invited? Perhaps at training Mikel said , I wish we had Partey not Xhaka and Auba misheard 🥳
Steve T@19: 🙂
If there is a even a smidgen of truth in BTM’s story, I suspect both Aiba and Laca will find themselves on the Ozil memorial step.
The problem with that, Ned, is that Ozil had been doing bugger all before being put on it so it was no loss. To put the only two proven goal scorers at the club on it at the same time with no plan B in place just won’t work. I suspect the two players in question know that. It’s an arm wrestling contest which I can’t see how Arteta can win without signing a top striker.
I am told there are loads of tickets still available for the game vs Chelsea on Sunday. Only have to be a silver or red member. Interesting.
Thanks Dr F – your final two paragraphs are on the money, Sir !
BtM – to take your second paragraph first – and why not ? – heh ! 😂
As for your first paragraph – well, it’s quite clear that our superstar striker and our publicly disciplinarian manager fell out of love some while ago. They might as well try to patch things up cos nobody ain’t taking Aubameyang at his age on whatever mad wages he is on.
And if the party rumours are true, then some very serious patching up should start with him. Maybe scoring a few goals now and then would help.
For his part, Arteta might try getting the ball forwards a touch quicker to allow the aforementioned scoring of goals – see Leeds and Man Utd 🤮
CER@25: All fair points. The only trouble is that Arteta doesn’t seem to like losing at arm-wrestling, even if he wins a Pyrrhic victory. Neither scenario is good.
Thanks everyone for the kind words.
Welcome to blog, Mondo!
kadigah@11: I think Ødegaard is in a distinctly superior category of players compared to Ceballos. Whereas Dani is talented — and let us give him his due, he had looked good for us quite a few times even though nowhere close to with the level of consistency as required — Martin is super talented, composed, and despite the typical mismanagement of his career by Real has had an excellent full season in top flight football when he was away at Real Soceidad on loan in 19-20. More importantly in his time with Arsenal — joining in a team with dysfunctional midfield — he has shown an impressive capacity to adapt to situations. The quality I like most about him that he makes players around him better — something TR7 and Santi were very good at — as he formed good rapport especially with ESR, Saka and Pépé, and even Gabi in the short time he played with him. If he joins us, he would be the best in the team in terms of progressive passing through the lines, it will allow us to use the versatility and flexibility of Emile better, and would allow us to have multiple different variations in our attacking configurations. Ødegaard down the middle with ESR in front of KT, Saka on the right wing; a very different proposition with ESR in #8 role just behind Ødegaard in an aggressive 4-3-3 (Partey as the other CM) and Saka and Pépé on the wings; or ESR and Ødegaard giving each other break in #10 etc.
Ned@28: I think Mikel needs to learn to relax a bit, in every sense of the word. It is good to be a super disciplinarian but there has to be a way of making yourself heard and respected without burning bridges. All players are not identical — manager’s job is not to build a military environment of uniform discipline-and-punish rules but to get the best out of the team he has at his disposal. He should focus more on how to get the best of Auba and Laca, still the two best strikers at the club and in Auba still the only established world class player (Saka, ESR, Gabi will get there one day we hope) and the guy who kind of carried the team for a while and was the primary force behind Mikel’s only success in his FA Cup win.
In a way it feels Mikel is just waiting for the perfect players in each position as he envisions them to join the club and then guide them through his perfect tactics. He has to be able to work with what he has while building towards the future. It is a very difficult job, agreed, but no one said being the manager of Arsenal Football Club should be easy.
I’m no lover of Le Grove but on a day when we have tied down Granit Xhaka until the age of 34 ( when his pace will start dropping ) Peter Wood does pose some very relevant questions on this piece
Question – would Xhaka be any slower if he was actually tied down ?
An excellent article TTG. Thanks for posting. I can’t disagree with anything he says. Hits the nail on the head.
Maybe the struggle to sell tickets for what used to be one of the three toughest games to get a ticket for, the rising number of ST non-renewals and the struggle to fill club level (who knows what the box situation is?) will concentrate some minds at the top of the club.
Here’s another good read that hits some nails firmly:
Two good articles above. I’m not sure that anyone here will find much to disagree with.
Xhaka’s new deal apparently takes him to 2024. Still 3 years too long in my opinion.
The second point is this. If Ødegaard is so good, why do we seem to be the only club interested in buying him? Surely if he wasn’t that good then many other sides, all over Europe would be in for him?
Steve @ 33: If your post was in response to my arguments in favor of Martin, I will say that I too wish we could sign Kylian Mbappe or Lionel Messi, which all teams in Europe would love to have.
The players in that creative midfield position we are being linked with: Maddison, Coutinho, Aouar, Martin … I don’t see any great demands for any of them in Europe. Among these players I prefer the Norwegian because of the observations I explained.
On a relevant note, I don’t see all European clubs are after Bukayo Saka as well. Or Gabriel Martinelli. ESR only had one suitor in Aston Villa. Does that mean these are bad players?
Just like them, Martin is young, with a very high ceiling and already has some success playing with these other young turks in red-and-white. We need a creative attacking midfielder the most, and IMHO the only feasible options are between him and Maddison. I am fine with either, just prefer the Norwegian because of the reasons I wrote down.
15 days to go. I do hope Edu has returned from his jollies and is working his bollocks off to bring in the quality players we need. I further hope he has blocked Joorabchian and that we are not about to give Coutinho his retirement package. If we sign Coutinho over Odegaard we have truly become a laughing stock and are taking yet another step into the abyss. I do think that an unhappy Auba is a better squad player than Coutinho.
Bath@35: I hope the potential Coutinho move is exactly the kind of “dealings” that Richard Garlick and the lawyer whose name escapes me now have been brought into stop us from indulging into.
If we choose Coutinho over Martin or Maddison I think that would be as stupid as signing Willian.
And completely agree that I will take a somewhat unhappy Auba over him any day …
As the reports are coming out — confirming most people’s guess in this blog — that Auba, Laca (and maybe one or two other players) had COVID. It was kind of obvious by what Arteta said about they are ill etc. The club is in enough crisis, and doesn’t need divisive stories in the press about fallout between manager and the captain.
Dr F.@37: It is curious that there is still no official word from the club. I checked back at the official training photos from last Thursday (12th) and there is no sign of either of them in any of the images. So whatever befell them likely happened before then but after the Spurs pre-season friendly on the 8th.
Ned@38: Yes, this may become a not irregular phenomenon for all clubs. I think it is best for the clubs involved to simply state the facts and stop any speculation.
Could it be possible PL requested Arsenal to not disclose the facts just before the opening weekend to avoid any dampening of enthusiasm across spectators?
I wonder why the euphemism of illness as well, but I guess it’s for
reasons of privacy for the players rather than anything else.
Doc@34.
No, not aimed at you in the slightest. Just a general observation and a general question. I had seen virtually nothing of Ødegaard before he joined us on loan. I thought his loan spell was okay and showed in patches what he might be capable of. I also thought it was quite clear that his aim was to very much play for Madrid.
I asked because there seemed to be a lot said about him and I was curious to know why, if he has been made available, he wasn’t not also linked elsewhere? As I said, I’ve not seen enough of him to really judge.
Bath,
Thanks for that article on Xhaka et al. I could have written it myself albeit my style is a bit different! He makes EXACTLY the key points . My very optimistic assessment a few weeks ago assumed he would be going . With him anchoring the side we are immediately out of contention for Champions League qualification ( as we have been coincidentally every season since he joined) and my assessment would have been much bleaker . I don’t want to watch him play because he is a huge part of how we play and why our level has slipped I’m sorry I renewed my season ticket now- and I love following my club but I know how toxic it will be in the ground this season . I also assumed we would clear out deadwood although I referenced my doubts about Edu’s ability to do that . Those doubts were well founded .
The club needs a reset but it needs one without the Kroenkes in charge . They keep driving us deeper into a state of mediocrity . We will teeter around halfway this season unless we suddenly become much more successful and creative in our dealings . Yes there is time left but we have Edu in charge .
As for Odegaard I think his loan spell was good in parts. Maddison takes us to another level but that’s not going to happen .
TTG. Very much agree re Maddison. He would be a fantastic signing.
I would also go as far to say that if it does not work out with Arteta, then Maddison is not the only thing we should be looking to obtain from Leicester.
A thought-provoking and unsettling piece from our friends at She Wore:
Arsenal have huge commitment issues
I do love the gallows humour of Squires in the Guardian:
Success may be just around the corner for Mikel Arteta.
It’s only two years until he leads Real Betis to Europa League glory.
Bath,
A lot of good and insightful articles flying around , of which this is another . Sadly they are all very depressing ! The big question is why we keep making these U turns ? Is it Arteta changing his mind, Edu failing to move players on or is the market just too difficult at present?
I suspect all three are true. Arteta is in a difficult position and will inevitably change his mind on players. I can remember murmurs about players like Radford, Parlour and Graham among others over the years before they won the doubters around and a good manager can’t be too dogmatic . But he seems to have U turns continually.
My feelings on Edu are that he was a poor choice ( by Sanllehi) and is out of his depth . In the structure we have the relationship between TD and manager is very important and theirs seems to have broken down .
But the market is close to impossible although a club with better people and a better strategy ( and much better owner ) in Leicester have coped fairly well .
The solution ?Pray for a better owner although taking Steve’s point I would take Conte in a heartbeat over Rodgers if we move Arteta on
DrF @ 39,
I have been wondering fir a while now why our footballers haven’t been publicly trumpeting the covid jab. If Auba and Laca, and I say if, have got Covud then us there nit a probability that they are not vaccinated?
Not restricting it to just these two. The absence of footballers from any public awareness campaign seems a bit strange.
CER@47: I do sincerely hope the entire Arsenal squad is fully vaccinated. And their close family members who are eligible. And same with other PL teams.
It is telling that these sports icons are not at the forefront of vaccination campaigns? Maybe the clubs fear “losing” certain “supporters” ?
Scrubs the sensitive part of the upper arm allowing a teammate to take the shot …
Smashes it into the nearest artery.
Can’t stand not scoring goals when they are there for the taking.
*Waves arms up and down like a chicken, exhorting the crowd to “make some noise”
Ahem. Well in for the half-ton, bt8. Will you need a booster for the ton?
Champions League football returns tomorrow, at least for Arsenal Women:
https://www.arsenal.com/news/preview-arsenal-women-v-fc-okzheptes
Well in for the half-ton bt8🍺🥃
Interesting points @47&48 gents.
I suppose footballers are free to
refuse the vaccination like anyone
else though I wonder if we’re approaching
a point where it will become mandatory
in some sports not just football
It seems Roma have some money after all. Lukaku for 60 odd million plus Abraham is basically what Chavski have done. Dzeko has gone to Inter. A little triangle that sees Chavski and Roma upgrade their teams (if you think a young Abrahams is a better player than an aging Dzeko] and Inter get a bucket of cash. Win/ win / win I suppose unless you’re an Inter fan instead of owner.
Will Inter’s windfall make them more inclined to offer Hector a more permanent position? I hope so for Hector’s sake. He deserves the move he wants.
Lots of noise overnight that permanent deals for Odegaard and Ramsdale are nearing completion. I’ve heard moans about the former signing which proves the old chestnut that familiarity breeds contempt – what’s not to like about signing a talented 22 year old who captains his country, has had a couple of outstanding seasons and has lit up the Emirates on a few occasions already. The other I’m not convinced is a good use of our transfer resources at this time but what do I know?
Bath,
At the very least ( if these come off) then it puts to bed any doubts about the financial input from the owners. There is a lot to moan about but not the owners’ financial commitment…
Bath@58: Inter, at this point, has made a net surplus of 166 million euros on its transfer business this window. Most if not all of that will go towards repairing its finances, or more likely, the finances of its Chinese owner, Suning.
Among its player purchases is Matteo Darmian from Parma, a former Italian international right-back who spent last season at Inter on loan. Darmian is 31, but Hector might well not be the first choice if he does go there.
I’d be more than happy with signing Ødegaard, but I don’t know about Ramsdale. Goalkeepers who play for relegated clubs get lots of work and thus can rack up decent individual stats even while playing behind a defence leaking goals. What you never know is how they will be when they only have a couple of big saves a game to make.
Arsenal Women comfortably through their Champions League tie against Okzhetpes, 4-0. Onto Saturday’s game against PSV Eindhoven or Lokomotiv Moscow for a place in the second qualifying round.
Bath,
I’m sympathetic to your view on Ramsdale but I’m told they have scouted him extensively and his profile aligns exactly with what the club are looking for . One might ask who drew up this profile ( the bloke who selected Runarsson?) But Ramsdale is allegedly better with his feet and much stronger in the air than Leno .
CER @59, I think the extent to which the owners have injected cash remains to be seen. I think I read on 7am KO that this splurge will be set against the club’s debt. However we should be grateful that Stan has relaxed his grip on the club purse if only as a response to the reaction to his flirtation with the ESL, the club’s decline and Arteta’s agenda. It at least lays the ghost of a disinterested owner. Absent but not entirely disinterested.
Ned @60, that is the key point when assessing a keeper who comes from a team where he has to be in constant action. It’s difficult to predict how effective he is when called upon only once or twice per game (those were the days!) and is required to maintain focus. That was the Achilles heel of Lawrence Taylor if I remember correctly.
TTG @62, that is somewhat reassuring but you raise another key point. Who is doing the assessment. I was concerned when David Seaman expressed some reservations. Clearly a man who will know how to identify a top keeper. I accept that my doubts rest on a small number of observations over a couple of seasons and that I am no expert. The moment he signs for the Arsenal I will support him 100%.
In Serie A news, Venice is back in the top division after nearly 20 years I think. And oh… Locatelli is having a medical at Juve. 🙄
We did the double against Chelsea last season. After many years. Should give the team some inspiration and encouragement before Sunday.
Sky News reporting that Odegaard is having a medical at Colney today prior to a £13m transfer.
And I’ve got away tix for City with every hope of securing Baggies tix tomorrow!
Good for you, C100. Two good days out, I hope. Plus two of your awayday reports for us here to look forward to savouring.
Evidently the Odegaard deal is €35m , not £12m, for a four year deal with a one year option.
Thanks Ned. Anyone know a good curry house near the Hawthorns?
Well nabbed C100!
13m is much cheaper than I was
expecting. A bargain if correct….
Venice have surfaced? Tidal ebb and flow I suppose …
Thank you c100 for #65. I can’t wait until you get back on the road again, and I get to read about it.
TTG@62: I took a look at the comparative stats for Leno and Ramsdale in the league last season. Ramsdale clearly came out ahead when it came to dealing with crosses, but Leno seemed to be the better shot-stopper. The kicking data is inconclusive to my eye. Leno was marginally more accurate with his passing and goal-kicks over all distances, though both had very good numbers. However, Ramsdale kicked long most of the time (70% of passes are over 40 yards, and 90% of goal kicks, v 22% and 59% for Leno) and was rather one-footed (although that may be a consequence of kicking long most of the time). So I am not sure how much we can draw from that about his footwork, which will have to be deft given Arteta’s notions about playing out from the back.
bt8@70: Very defensive team. They just park the gondola…
Speaking of Italian clubs at the bottom of the alphabet (and likely to be near the bottom of the table at season’s end) I see the two gentlemen of Verona have also surfaced. Unfortunately the other teams all have 11.
Google (or Apple, I would have to doublecheck which I am currently uninclined to do) seems to have alphabetized all the clubs in the Serie A table with the exception of Milan which is listed. Prediction, favoritism, computer glitch or SOMETHING ELSE?
Apologies for the above, in all senses. Milan were listed first.
Mesut Ozil has continued his near flawless record of scoring only against bottom half opponents, this time against newly promoted (I think) Adana in the Turkish league.
His next goal could come in 2023, if ever.
What a loss getting rid of Ozil has turned out to be.
The signing of Odegaard which is imminent has already been criticised by a number of the vultures who inhabit Arsenal’s social media . The logic appears to be that he played in a team that only finished eighth . I think a better way to look at it was that he started playing when we were eleventh and that in the second half of the season when he was a regular we had the second or third best record in the league ( Ned, help!) ESR had much to do with that as well.
I thought Odegaard played extremely well in two of our best home performances ( Leeds, Spurs) and he was superb in the West Ham game when he orchestrated our comeback. He also made Pepe much more effective and played well in Europe away from home .His injury affected his form at the latter end of the season .
I’d add two observations – firstly that our signings are young with high ceilings and likely to increase in value . Secondly that we are a team with a lot of key players who are left-footed . This may be intentional and could increase the angles we obtain in our passing but it will affect our build-up play . Gabriel , Mari, Tierney, Xhaka , Pepe , Saka and now Odegaard are predominantly left-footed . That’s a very high percentage of our starters . I find it sinister .
Sinister indeed, TTG. 🙂
TTG@80: Ødegaard was available for our final 18 league games last season, of which he played in 14, starting nine. We stood ninth in the table after match week 20, with 30 points. Our last 18 games yielded 31 points, the fifth-best record over match weeks 21-38, behind Man City, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool.
On the crude measure of points won in games he played v points won in games he didn’t, we averaged 1.7 points a game when he played and 1.5 points when he didn’t. (Our average across the season was 1.6 points a game.)
ESR’s numbers on that score are far more impressive: 2.0 points a game when he played v 1.2 points when he didn’t.
That table will look a lot different if Man City signs Kane.
The sales table:
Aston Villa £109.0 million
Chelsea £64.4 million
Man City £33.2 million
Arsenal £25.1 million
Leicester City £2.6 million
Man Utd £0 million
Giving a net spend table:
Man Utd £114 million
Arsenal £103.9 million*
Leicester City £52.4 million
Man City £66.8 million
Chelsea £33.1 million
Aston Villa -£16 million
* assuming £57.2 million for Ødegaard and Ramsdale turns out to be correct
Ned@82: Illuminating statistics.
From Opta, chances created from open play (copied from Tim’s article in arseblog) since January 30:
Ødegaard 26
ESR 24
Saka 21
KT 19
Xhaka 16
Ceballos (!) 15
Pépé 14
I think in the long run a progressive 4-3-3 with Partey deeper behind Ødegaard and ESR as the two modern forward midfielders would be ideal. Both Emile and Martin are highly disciplined, spatially aware, has good defensive instincts and have good work-rates. That would allow Saka and Pépé to be more unpredictable and overload the penalty box.
If Ødegaard can be registered to play for this weekend’s match, and if Auba/Laca are still “ill”, we may want to try ESR and Saka on the left and right wings, with Pépé as a central striker. As a temporary option for the match.
Apparently Odegaard, even if the deal is completed by noon on Friday, will not be eligible for the game at the bus stop due to visa/work-permit requirements. However Ramsdale, if completed, will be.
Dr.F
I’d advise caution re your suggested formation. Remember the Villareal game at home ! Partey played with a deeper Odegaard as Xhaka was injured pre-match and our midfield was a shambles .I think if ESR and Odegaard play together one will start wide . The S***s game where ESR played on the left with Tierney was maybe an indication of what we will see. I’m hoping Sambi develops into Partey’s partner but I’m a bit of a naive optimist . We know who it will be !
All of this referring to Sambi Lokonga as Sambi is well and good, and may even reflect the will of the lad himself but if he really wants to develop an identity with staying power may I suggest Lokonga is better and even has the advantage of “Loko” as a short version. Just knowing the week’s challenge is to face a player called Loko could be enough to terrify the wits out of many an oppo player. Just sayin’
Good point By8 . After all Xhaka has yet to indicate he is made of Granit(e)!
It came to my notice that Bath aside one of the great Aberdonians reached the age of 80 today . Sadly he has the challenge of dementia to contend with . I wish him well a wonderful player and a very funny man too
Ned, re: parking the gondola 😂
Buses work better being bulkier all around but when submerged in a lagoon you take what you can get I suppose.
The four Arsenal players who tested COVID-positive prior to last week’s match were Laca, Auba, Willian and Runarsson. Laca still is testing positive apparently, which rules him out this week.
Dr F@85: I saw a StatBomb chart a few days back that showed in the season Ødegaard was at Real Sociedad he had the best chance-creating stats in La Liga, better even than Messi’s.
The club site says Auba and Willian will be assessed before the Chelsea game, but Laca and Runarsson are definitely out.
Aaron Ramsdale appears to be on his way, despite the audible yawns coming from several sides. On the positive side of his ledger, Ramsdale was named player of the year by Bournemouth supporters for the 2019-20 season, and the following season he was named Sheffield United’s player of the season. Both times he was keeping goal in a side that was relegated at season’s end but those awards would suggest the clubs were relegated in spite of his performances not because of them. If he is confirmed I wish him the best in his career at our club.
Dr F & TTG: On formation, I’d play Partey and Lokonga as the double pivot, with Saka, Ødergaard and ESR in front of them, and Auba up top. One concern with that formation would be goal-scoring; it would rely on Auba remembering where he had left his shooting boots or Pepe coming off the bench to score, although, given the way he sometimes plays first halves, he might as well be on the bench. Also, until the right-back position is sorted out, we will probably need a winger in midfield on the right rather than an inside-right to use the old terminology. On the left, with Tierney, we don’t need a conventional winger, and ESR can play as an overlapping inside-left, which is his best position.
bt8: I can see the logic to buying Ramsdale. He is 23, has 125 senior games under his belt, 75 in the Premiership, and is in the England squad. That implies a high ceiling if our scouting analytics team has got its assessment of his potential right. If it has, Ramsdale could be between the sticks for us for a decade, and he will have been a relative bargain even if it seems a lot of money now (he will be the fifth-most expensive goalkeeper in history). One way or another, it looks likely Leno will be gone next summer.
Ned,
Very sensible suggestion. Given that we will inevitably have injuries I think Pepe will have plenty of matches . I think we do have a real problem upfront because there is a chance that Aubameyang is past his best , illnesses aside. He doesn’t look like the predator he was . But that is potentially a good side , possibly at times a very good side .
As for Ramsdale I understand he is getting a lot of abuse on social media . Welcome to the cesspit Aaron . Don’t people realise that he is a young lad representing our team. Now he is signing I’m fully behind him . While I’m critical in these notes of some players , in the stadium I’ve never booed an Arsenal player in sixty years of watching the club although a few have brought me close to it ,
After an easy save, rolls the ball out to the left back…
Nifty toe poke into the channel takes out two defenders who collide head-on.
Anybody seen the hilarious Sp@@s result?
Just before my morning ☕️☕️ I will do some poaching
Nice work, OM. Poaching goals for breakfast instead of eggs!
“ a first half goal from Silva ensuring there was at least something to remember from a thoroughly tedious match”
The spud report
The team does need a poacher just now ecg so I want to be ready for the call😉
Well in for the ton. OM. Scrambled the ball over the line.
It was an egg-cellent goal.
Now you’re just eggsaggerating!
And officially welcome to Martin!
Our new no 8 at a good price,
and a good fit. Praise where it’s
due – Edu and co did well there.
With Ramsdale looking likely to
follow I think it’s fair to say we’ve
done better getting players in than
moving them on this summer.
The nature of the current market
of course is a mitigating factor but
then on the other hand they get the
big bucks to do the difficult things.
Anyway, a nice boost ahead of two
tricky league games.
My preference would be to move Elneny out and keep Torreira if he is hard to shift . I’d also have preferred to use AMN in midfield to Xhaka if we could get a reasonable and fair price for the Swiss maestro ( 4p?) . Priority now is to move Bellerin out and look at the striking situation
Delighted we have signed Ødegaard and look forward to welcoming Ramsdale. I hope both fulfil all of Arteta’s expectations of them.
TTG@ 108,
I like AMN at right back and thought he put in some really good performances last season there. In midfield, I fear while his engine is great, he has the Xhakaesque “rabbit in the headlights” decision-making cock up in his locker when under pressure.
Welcome back to the Arsenal, Martin! Here’s to you living up to all your promise and potential, and bringing back — in tandem with the other talented youngsters in Saka, ESR, Tierney, Gabi, Lokonga… — the creativity, verve and excitement into Arsenal’s football.
As a teenager he had a trial with us in Wenger years, he talked about that time in fond terms when he had joined earlier last season on loan: https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-fc-martin-odegaard-trial-real-madrid-wenger-b901354.html .
I have been a fan since his first few matches with us. I like the subtlety, the understanding with other players, the unselfishness, the spatial awareness. Saka, ESR, Gabi and him all of them have maturity in attitude and discipline beyond their years and here is to hoping their evolution individually and collectively to greater heights …
Now that the pre-match events of last weekend’s season opener are coming to light, I think if I were to edit the match review now with that information I would be much less critical. Four players impacted by COVID, including the two best strikers in the club, preparations completely disrupted, uncertainty about the match … it is fair to say that if not for ensuring that the PL start weekend doesn’t get bad marketing the match would have been postponed.
We may have questions and doubts about Mikel’s tactical choices etc. but very impressed by his innate strength of character and quality of communication. Most other PL managers would have spit out the dummy in last Friday’s post-match interview.
And shame on all Arsenal supporters who had actively circulated the completely unsubstantiated rumors about fallout between the manager and the coach.
I hope Odegaard is as good as I think he is. I certainly believe he has as much, if not more potential than Maddison and we do seem to have spurned last year’s target Aouar in his favour presumably on the basis of our experience of him rather than on a financial basis.
I am willing to accept Arteta’s judgement on Ramsdale and hope he too exceeds expectations. I hope the match-going Gooners give Aaron a warm welcome to compensate for the vile Instagram warriors who have neither grace nor any understanding of the values of the club they claim as their own.
I expect Edu to concentrate now on the departure lounge and hope he is successful in bringing to fruition the rumoured links for Kola, Torreira and Willian. Unlike TTG I would shed Torreira before Elneny. Neither is Arsenal standard but the latter has more mental strength, is lower maintenance and is a willing and energetic squad player.
It is time for Hector to move on and hopefully he can be found a suitable destination such as Barca, Atletico, Inter or PSG in a suitable swap deal or for a sensible fee. I would be happier to see AMN fill that gap than Calum Chambers but neither is a top level RB and neither is Cedric though I can’t quite see why he was a) signed permanently or b) slipped below two non-specialists for the starting position.
As alluded to by TTG, we also need to address the unfortunate gap in our striker portfolio between callow youth and twilight careers. I can’t see us doing so this window but if I could choose (assuming that Haaland can’t have his ear bent by Martin Odegaard), I would add DCL. I can’t see Everton willingly selling him or us making them an offer they couldn’t refuse. Maybe next summer?
A transcript of Arteta’s press conference from BBC Sport:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58279516
It sounds like there was marked disruption of the team’s preparation for the opening game.
Bath@113: It is a bit sad to see Hector’s association with Arsenal is probably going to end in such an underwhelming manner. He was so full of promise and for a few years he actually was very good. At least good enough that when Sagna — one of the best Arsenal players in the Emirates era in my opinion — moved on to City we were confident about his ability to step up.
He has also been a great ambassador for the club in how he conducted himself and communicated his ideas about how a sportsperson can try to positively impact the wider society with intelligence and dignity. I would have loved to see him become an Arsenal great and captain the team one day. But it has become evident that he needs a change to revive his career, and hopefully he will find a new club that will better suit him now.
Dr F@112: Underlines the importance of having one-for-one replacements available. Think if it had been Leno rather than Runarsson who contracted Covid.
~@115: Well said, and as you note, Hector has represented the club with intelligence and dignity. Injury, nothing else, flattened the trajectory of his Arsenal career. We can all only wish him well wherever he ends up.
bath@114: What I was reading between the lines of Arteta’s presser is that some at the club, including players, have declined to be vaccinated.
Ned @116, that’s their prerogative, I guess. Were it a more lethal disease for younger adults, it may well have proved Darwinian as would the decision not to get immunised. I remain baffled at the resistance to immunisation but support the freedom of choice outside key employments where I do support mandatory immunisation as was the case for Hepatitis B in clinicians who undertake invasive procedures. For those who object strongly enough there is the freedom to pursue an alternative career. It really shouldn’t be a tough choice.
Ned & Bath — this is probably venturing into too much of an non-Arsenal territory (and a thorny one to begin with), but certain vaccinations where the threat is not isolated infections but widespread pandemic should not be individual choice. Some will of course need to be excepted because of medical reasons etc. but as a society there is a strong argument to mandate vaccinations for everyone who is eligible. Not by coercive force but by enough mandatory regulations — no access to public spaces and venues and transport etc. — to make people realize that willingly remaining a threat vector to society should bear consequences. If you want to participate in the wider society, be responsible.
Bath @114,
From the BBC article:
“ It is understood that Arsenal did not request a postponement. All players and staff were re-tested and there were no more positive cases so the game went ahead.”
Then the next sentence:
“ When Arteta was asked whether he or the club had requested for the game to be called off, he replied: “What we did is what we had to do, through the club, through the club doctor as well. He explained the situation, how it developed and the risk that we consider.”
Is it just me or does the second sentence come across as an absolute non sequitur? It sounds like the BBC are trying to hold the PL party line whereas Arteta is being somewhat less than unequivocal in terms of what was requested.
“If you want to participate in the wider society, be responsible.”
…if you’re not, we will force you to be.
Heil!
SSY@120: I know that you know that the last line was a cheap shot. 😉 And completely unnecessary. There are rules in place for not being allowed to drive when you are drunk, and mechanism to enforce those rules. Not to just save you, but primarily to save others around you from the consequences of your irresponsibility. Requiring vaccines to be able to go into a restaurant is no different.
If we were really an enlightened society, we all would have true understanding of what life is and appreciate the interconnectedness and understand our responsibility to the world at large and not so easily give into fear, paranoia and a completely deluded sense of “isolated self” and fall so easily prey to misinformation that fuels those destructive instincts.
Welcome to the club Aaron!! Looking forward to your growth and fulfilling the potential that the club believes you have.
I’m thrilled at our transfer business today. I think Odegaard is gonna be an absolute star for us. He may not be a shouter but he is captain of Norway and I think the lad has real potential as a leader, as well as being a brilliant player with a lot more to show.
As for Ramsdale… I am chuffed he is coming. Keepers always seem to get harsher criticism than other players and he’ll have to deal with some fallout from people who will never be happy. Personally, I think he is gonna prove to be a great signing, and a top quality number 1 keeper for years.
Welcome to the both of you!
Bath@117: I am in complete accord with you.
CER@119: Something probably got lost in translation along the way there, but if you have four of your matchday squad drop out with illness 48 hours before a game, I can’t believe you wouldn’t at least ask to get the game postponed, even if you didn’t push it very hard once the PL said no.
GSD@123: Good to see you in.
Giraud-Hutchinson
not Giroud
Giraud
Probably venturing into non Arsenal territory…
Absolutely.
Ned @125,
Hence my description of the second sentence as a non sequitur. Clearly Arsenal asked for the game to be called off. Clearly the answer was: “F.R.O. – this is the first game of the season and the PL comes first.”.
And clearly the BBC s record for truthful reporting takes another dive down the pan.
Arteta as quoted by the BBC: “We are trying to encourage them to get vaccinated and protect themselves and their families. It’s a really personal matter, we are trying to guide them and explain the reasons why it is better to do but at the end it’s a personal decision.”
The most likely conclusion to draw is that the ones who tested positive are the same ones who refused to get vaccinated. Not sure if it would be true in all four cases but probably at least three.
I watched a lot of the U23s tonight who won 4-2 against Crystal Palace.Palace had a lad sent off but we were 3-1 up when he went. We missed a penalty ( Azeez) near the end . The standout players were Hutchinson , Patino and Azeez. Defensively I thought we were flaky and Graczyk the keeper didn’t impress at all.
Hutchinson got two goals one of which was a brilliant individual effort which must appear on news sites soon.Patino is the sort of player you hope gets the ball because he is so elegant when he does . He has a lot of Brady about him. Azeez is very skilful and has been made captain. He is inclined to showboat but the three of them are very exciting . Biereth, the young striker we have signed from Fulham notched his first goal and looked very lively .
Most games are shown on Twitch
TTG@130: How did Norton-Cuffy play at right-back? First-team material?
This line from Jorge Bird’s match report made me smile: it seems clear that the players are starting to adapt to [Betsy’s] rather complex methods. The new U-23 coach is clearly prepping his charges for first-team duty.
Ramsdale is going to have to work on his barnet. You can’t have a hair out of place in Arteta’s Arsenal.
“You can’t have a hair out of place in Arteta’s Arsenal.”
…and this is supposed to be funny?
On so many levels, SSY.
Ned @131,
I watched the first half. Agree with TTG we were very good going forward. At the back it was all a bit late period Wenger Keystone Cops. Norton-Cuffy had, shall we say, a difficult first half. It’s the first time I’ve seen him so I won’t extrapolate any further than that off a miniscule sample.
Welcome to Aaron, nice to have
two keepers and a competitive
situation. Walking away from the
negotiations seems to have worked
out ok in the end.
We still don’t have a first team partner for Partey. Before the window opened I think most people agreed that was the priority signing.
Unless Sambi is the man for the job then we still have Xhaka in our first eleven (Mikel has been talking him up again)
I’m a bit concerned that despite spending a shedload of money we still have a glaring weakness in the middle of the pitch. I just don’t want to watch Xhaka play football. He is boring and he makes the players around him boring. And then we finish seventh anyway.
I hope we have one more big transfer in us before the window closes.
GSD @137, at least seventh would be a small improvement on two consecutive eighth
places?
I honestly can’t see us bringing in the holding MFer that we need given that we couldn’t get a reasonable bid for Xhaka. If we can swap out Hector we may get a new RB but who knows? Edu and Dick could surprise us.
Good analysis of why Ramsdale has been on our radar for a while: https://theathletic.com/2779226/2021/08/20/why-arsenal-signed-aaron-ramsdale/?source=user_shared_article
A nice summary of Granit Xhaka’s relationship and importance to the Arsenal FC:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2021/08/21/granit-xhakas-roma-move-collapsed-arsenal-value-much/
>>>>>>>