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More Goonerholics Opine on the Championship Season: Group 2

Jul 12th, 2026 by

As we were reminded of in our last post, a season like 2025/26 doesn’t come around very often.  So now we look at our second set of questions, keen to know the answers from two more ‘Holics located near and far to the Emirates but bound by the same love of the Arsenal. As with the answers from the first group, they cover a lot of the most important issues that came up during this amazing season.

This time around we have answers from Uply and Osaka Matt.

What was (were) your favourite moment(s) of last season?
Uply: My favourite moment last season was the goal scored by Max Dowman in the late season home match v Everton. We were holding that narrow and nervous 1-0 lead with a few moments to go in a run of 7 must win matches. Everton had a corner and their keeper went up for it. I, and I suspect thousands of others, were full of trepidation they would score from it. Instead the corner was cleared, then passed up to Max who slid past the last defender on half way with ease and calmly ran towards the opposition’s empty goal with their defenders trailing behind and scoring his debut goal at 16 yrs. The combination of joy and relief from everyone there and everyone watching on their tv’s was just ecstatic.

OM: I think you’d have to have been actually dead not to have leapt out of your seat when Max Dowman scored against Everton. Even watching on TV 6,000 miles away I felt the spine-tingling electrical surge in the aether, amazingly there weren’t wide-scale reports of power outages. It was a genuine WTF moment. But….given that almost everyone will choose that moment, I will also nominate Ebere’s hat trick against Spurs, he looked so happy that you couldn’t help but warm to the guy, same for Kai sticking it to Chelsea. Basically, there were a lot of great moments last season! The days leading up to the Palace game and the day itself were one long great moment.

Who was your player of the season?
OM: Declan Rice, for obvious reasons, though I wouldn’t argue with several other players being put forward.

Uply: There were many players under consideration as to my favourite and I narrowed it down to two – Declan Rice and David Raya. The latter made many vital saves throughout the season which contributed massively to our league championship but my no. 1 choice goes to Declan. He gives 100% every single match and even though he was physically spent those last few weeks he just “got on with it” as he was driven to win the league – he got it done! The other factor in choosing Declan was how he conducts himself – just class, and how we perceive Arsenal to be. He entirely epitomises the character that Mikel looks for in his team.

Did the scale of the celebrations around the world surprise you in terms of the size of support worldwide?
Uply: I was aware that The Arsenal are well supported world wide but the massive level of celebrations following our title win went way beyond my expectations.  Those in some of the African countries were incredible, so much so  I wondered if AI was playing a part.

OM: No, not really. I know the support we have in Japan, there was a huge turnout a few years back when we played a pre-season game Nagoya. We are well supported in the US too, and elsewhere in Asia and obviously Africa as was widely seen. I am always somewhat sceptical when I see various projections showing the global support for various PL clubs – in my own experience only Manchester United and Liverpool are competitors, of course I mean in terms of supporters who actually watch every week. I was more happily surprised to see the fantastic amount of people around our stadium, they said an awful lot more about us as a club than all the endless waffle of the various naysayers across the various media.

How comfortable are you with the ownership model and current ethos of Arsenal Football Club?
OM: To take the second part of the question first as it links to my previous answer, our current ethos is positively thriving; we are inclusive, we are global and yet also deeply involved in the local community, we aren’t perfect to be sure but to my mind values that have been built-up over time are now showing their worth. Our support opposed the racists on the terraces in the seventies, our management stood up against fences in the eighties, instead of the disgusting behaviour you saw at some clubs, our fans loved our young, black players who came through, we saw talent not colour. Arsene came in and was an ethos all by himself! Around the turn of the century we were, I think, the first of the bigger clubs (with apologies to Doncaster) to really support women’s football and we have continued to this day. Reading about the work we do in the community really does give a sense of pride at what we stand for, we know who we are. These things are just a snapshot from memory really and of course there are a million other things that have gone into putting our ethos where it is today. We didn’t do those things for the money, we did them because we thought they were right – so, not perfect, not angels but at least we try, and personally I gotta love that.

I was interested to see the current ownership model linked with the ethos! I guess there is some connection in a short-term way but they are quite separate in my mind. In general, the ownership model in the PL is stomach-churningly bad. As miserable a collection of parasitical ne’er do wells as you could hope not to ever meet or even see. I understand the argument that our own Silent Stan isn’t as bad as some but for me it just doesn’t stand up. As any good magistrate will tell you the proffered excuse of “god’s truth yer high and mighty worshipfulness, I dun the gaff fair do’s, but I didn’t half-inch as much them other blokes” is not a defence, just a plea in mitigation. Now that we are winning again people seem to feel the urge to gloss over the sins of the father – yes, the Kroenke’s have invested significantly and yes that has had a major impact, yes as well to Josh coming across as a decent fellow on the telly. None of that changes my opinion that our owner is quite capable of being as dodgy as the day is long because my opinion is based on what I believe he actually did in St Louis (after wading through a long and immensely boring legal document) rather than what I want to be true now. So, to answer the question, I am not particularly comfortable with the current ownership model but will accept the reality that nothing will change in the near future – of course if the owners sell out to some corrupt nation state then all bets are off.

Uply: When I first started going to Highbury in the 1950s, most football clubs were owned by local business men with a patrician approach. This has now changed beyond all recognition with big financial organisations and autocratic states with unlimited funds sportswashing their regimes – the amount of money floating around the EPL is phenomenal and bears no relation to the impoverished teams in the lower tiers of the game. We are no different in being owned by American billionaires. The Kroenke family were disliked during the early years of their ownership but under the enthusiastic leadership of Josh Kroenke they do appear to have switched on to how a football club should be run and have built a formidable management team, backed by considerable finance, leading to the current top level the club is now operating at. Of course they are aware that the financial rewards will eventually be working back to their exclusive benefit. We do appear to have lucked out when compared to how many of our competitors are controlled.

Do you envisage that this is the start of a golden era in Arsenal history or will our rivals soon catch up?
Uply: I do think the club is now at the level where we can expect a successful period ahead. However, our main competitors are not going away and they will be putting all their efforts in the years ahead to get ahead of us. Successful yes, domination I doubt.

OM: A very difficult question, I certainly hope so! However, the league is tough and, according to Mikel Arteta (who should know) it is getting tougher. I think our current core squad strength will certainly challenge right now. However, we need to keep Mikel, and the core of the side first, the likes of Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Rice, Zubi, Saka and Kai. If we can do that, then sprinkle in a sound squad and emerging youngsters like Max or MLS, I feel we are good to go for maybe three seasons or so of bauble-grabbing, but after that it will depend on how well we manage in a new core and who knows how that will go.

Who would you most like us to sign next season?
OM: Of the players I saw last season, I liked that kid at Spurs, Archie Grey. I also thought Kamada at Palace was good if limited, and talking of Palace, I’d take Olise from Bayern if I could.  To be honest I have seen us linked with several players recently but who I’d like to sign largely depends on who the club decides to move on. If we move on Ode or Eze for example then I’d be happy enough with Morgan Rogers, but if we did sign him and didn’t move anyone then I think we are just causing problems for ourselves. In terms of the team, I’d like a new left-wing, another strong 6/8 as well as MLS, and a replacement for Kepa too if he moves on. I really don’t have names for you, but surely that’s what I pay Berta for anyway.

Uply: Our most pressing need is for a player who can naturally score goals -put the ball in the net from half chances. Unfortunately they are few & far between. The player who appeals to me most is Junior Kroupi currently at Bournemouth. He has lots of natural ability and is still young enough to improve further, particularly in our championship wining environment.

If you had one wish for next season what would it be?
Uply: My wish for next season is that the team regain its attacking mojo so that we can put more teams to the sword and we eradicate the stressful, hard fought 1-0 scorelines.

OM: Win the Champions League, time to get that deeply embedded thorn pulled out. It’s annoying, as well as unjust, that serial cheats like Chelsea and Manchester City have won it and we haven’t.

Have you any other thoughts or comments about where Arsenal is at the moment?
OM: We are top of the league 😊

Uply: After too many years in the doldrums the club has regained its prominent position through the astute management and dedication of everyone involved, working as a team together for the benefit of all, including the fans who are a vital part of the club – “Victory in Harmony”

Posted in Opinions, Season Review, Waffle | 31 Drinks »

Goonerholics Opine on the Championship Season, Group 1

Jul 8th, 2026 by

A season like 2025/26 doesn’t come around very often, and we are keen to know what it meant to a variety of ‘Holics near and far, scattered across the globe but bound by a love of Arsenal. We’ve asked a lot of different posters to give us their views on some of the key moments and questions of the season. Three sets of questions were mailed out, not quite identical but close…and they cover a lot of the most important issues that came up during this amazing season.

First up, BtM, Scruzgooner, and Sancho Panza.

What was the highlight of last season for you ?

BtM:  The season was a very deeply satisfying one because The Arsenal won the Premier League and came very close to making it a double with a Champions League win over PSG in Budapest. 

Having said that, it was not a season in which our team played their best football ever. Home games in particular often became, nerve mangling, turgid encounters, decided by a single goal. This was primarily because most opponents (apart from the Spuds, bless ‘em) came to the Emirates with a “Don’t lose” mindset and adopted a low-block approach which didn’t inspire fast flowing open football and quite frequently resulted in the ball semi-circling sideways across our visitors’ penalty box, packed with eleven defenders, as we sought creativity and inspiration to rupture their wall. 

So, in that context, truly magical moments were relatively few for me but I can muster four favourites that will linger long in my memory box (he wrote hopefully while asking himself “what day of the week is it again?”). 

The first, at the Emirates, was Eze’s ball to Martinelli and then our young Brazilian’s fabulous, high, side footed chip over Man Cheaty’s keeper, under the bar and into the right side of the net. We’d been the better team for most of the game but a momentary lapse hade resulted in a Harlaand opener for 0-1 to the bad guys in blue. Time was running out and it was beginning to look to me like we’d hand Guardiola’s team an early advantage in the title race before Brazilian flair and technique resulted in this beautiful, superb and well-deserved equaliser. 1-1 and cue pandemonium in the stadium.

The second, at the Emirates again, was the second goal in our home game against Everton. The Toffees had pushed us really hard and had several good chances to score before Gyokores put us 1-0 up. With David Moyes urging them on, Everton continued to create danger and there was every chance that they might equalise. They won a late corner, England’s goalkeeper sprinted up for a Hail Mary header. In came the ball, we headed clear and there was Max Dowman, spinning past some lad in blue before running the length of the pitch to slot the ball home. Again, cue pandemonium, particularly on the home bench, where Arteta’s and the coaching team’s delight was a joy to behold.

The third was driven by an event that occurred nowhere near North London. On England’s south coast, Man Cheaty, the blue bottlers, lost at Bournemouth meaning that the Arsenal were Premier League winners. An Estimated 100,000 Gooners descended on Emirates Stadium and the surrounding area invoking memories of Fever Pitch and 1989.

The best, without a shadow of a doubt was our fairly straightforward 3-0 home win against Sunderland. That outing was made supremely special for me because of the presence in the stadium of granddaughter Stella, enjoying her first ever Premier League match (courtesy of Bath Jnr). Stella’s a signed-up Young Gunner now and we’re hopeful that more such visits may be in the wind.

SP: Full time at the Bournemouth v Manchester City game.  We would still have won the league at Palace but it was great to see the spontaneous celebrations that night.

Scruz: I have two.  Unsurprisingly, one is (as with many people, not least those who voted it as Arsenal’s 2025/6 goal of the season) Max scoring on his breakaway against Everton.  Using his head to advance the ball past the flailing Mykolenko, then juking Dewsbury-Hall onto his backside, and being aware at the end they were coming fast…all such hallmarks of a skilled, intelligent player (not to mention young and quick and joyous).  Kudos to Gabi for getting him the ball after Everton’s corner, as well.

The one that resonates most strongly with me, though is Leo’s goal against West Ham to win that game at such a crucial moment in our season (“After review, West Ham #19 commits a foul…” notwithstanding).  Mø’s movement and exchanges with Dec, then his patience for the defense to collapse away from Leo…and the pass…all so much what we are and can be more as a club on offense.  I lost my voice screaming with joy.  We were going to win the league.

When did you believe we were going to win the title?

SP: Did you mean NOT going to become Champions?  I admit to flipping my lid during and after the Bournemouth game, but we put it right i the next game. I didn’t think City were going to win all their games as their defence wasn’t up to much.

Scruz: It was all hope through the City game, when the first actual glimmer of belief (at least, a glimmer that I could allow myself to feel, for fear of helping jinx the end result) lit the darkness.  But when Leo scored at West Ham, heavenly light of my belief burst forth and the angels sang hosannahs…

BtM: Mikel’s call to arms when he announced the “Very beautiful opportunity of the five game League that we have to play to end the season and win the League”.  He encouraged everyone to get in the boat with the team and carry the enterprise to the winning endpoint that we all wanted and even craved. Arteta is an excellent leader. He uses verbal imagery highly effectively to encourage and stimulate everyone, vested or only interested, toward collective purpose, sense of accomplishment and eventual achievement. Once I’d heard that particular speech, I was sold on our title prospects and very confident that we’d be Champions.

Who was your player of the season?

Scruz: Declan or David Raya.  Nothing to measure between them, both had moments that saved our season and led us to the title.  Maybe Declan shades it by a hair because he just.never.stops.running…and “It’s not over.”  But Raya’s saves against West Ham and Atlético Madrid…wow.  So, a tossup.  Give it to them both.

BtM: If asked for a prediction in pre-season, I suspect Ødegaard and Saka’s names would have been at the forefront of my mind. However, although he was run very close by Declan Rice in front of him and William Saliba alongside him my POTS was Gabriel Magalhães. The quality of our defending as a team was critically important to our title win. Almost equally important was the potency of our set piece play and our ability to hit the back of the net with powerful headers from corners and free kicks, thereby negating low block tactics. Big Gabi lead by example. A true warrior, he was the cornerstone of a never-say-die defensive effort and an inspiration as our ‘wall at the back’ to all ten other players. At the same time he was superbly potent in set piece attacks, either by scoring himself or by creating such a distraction for opposing defenders that other (Kai Havertz take a bow) were able to cruise in unmarked to score. Fantastic season. One of (if not THE) best central defenders in the game.

SP: David Raya.  He won us so many points this season.  Arteta was so right to change keepers when he did.

Who would you most like us to buy?

BtM: Forwards: Alvarez, Rogers and Jeremy Monga appear to be in the frame. I like all three.

Midfield: I’d love to see Bouaddi in our midfield pool. He looks like a superb, versatile talent.

Defence: I think we need a new right back. White/Timber combo doesn’t appear future viable because of injury.

SP: Alvarez if he wants to come here.  We need better up top.

Scruz: I don’t know.  Everyone wants Alvarez, but the combination of his relative light weight and £430 million buyout clause make my interest minimal.  Especially if Gyökeres were to go to Atletico as part of the deal.  I don’t know whom we’ll get (I trust in Berta), but if Nørgaard isn’t going to play (and is dealt) I’d like to see someone in who can spell Dec without as much drop-off.  I’d like to see Ethan back, and play him in certain situations as a backup for Saka and Noni (especially at the start of the season), but also as a second striker in the God role.

Do you believe we had fair media coverage last season in general?

SP: Our style of play reflected the players we had available and the form of those players. We played some nice football at times.  Other teams may have played nicer football in patches but did they finish top?  No! They finished 2nd to 20th.  Criticism came from people who support other teams so who cares. 

Scruz: I have but eight letters to say to the jealous snipers, but as this is a family-friendly blog I won’t write them here…but they rhyme with “duck them”.  There are certainly critiques to be made about our incessant need for control, our lack of so-called beautiful football, and the behind-the-couch watching position into which it puts supporters, but my ultimate response is…would we have won the league playing any differently *this year* with *this squad* with *these injuries*?  That usually shuts people up right quick.

BtM: Our style of play was predicated primarily upon Mikel Arteta’s single-minded goal of registering more points than any other team in the English Premier League by scoring more and conceding fewer goals than any other team. A secondary imperative was the equivalent in the Champions League. 

Arsenal scored more goals than all but one team (6 less than the blue Mancs) and conceded less than everyone else (8 fewer than their closest competitor) winning the title with a seven point advantage. What more justification is required than ending the season as League Champions having accomplished the primary objective and coming extremely close in the other – being the only team to score in open play against the Qatar funded team that the majority rate as the best in Europe?

Arsenal were not at their very entertaining, swashbuckling best. The supreme quality, teamwork and skillset that had been the hallmark of the prior three seasons was diminished this time around. However, in those prior three seasons we came second. This time we came first. A big difference justifying fully the tactical approach and style of play pursued.

And all of this was accomplished despite Brazil’s centre forward being unavailable for the whole season, Germany’s centre forward suffering huge injury set backs, Saka and Ødegaard, absolutely key contributors, underperforming because of injury and unavailability as well as injuries to Timber, Merino and Calafiori which significantly curtailed their availability. Incredible – and testament to the importance of the recruitment work completed in last summer’s window. 

Was there criticism then? Didn’t listen, didn’t hear it.

Is this the start of a golden era for the club or will our rivals catch us up very quickly?

Scruz: I think both.  Mikel is pretty much exactly where he expected to be in his “process”, and we have a relatively young squad that very clearly love each other and enjoy playing together.  Judicious exits and signings this Summer should enable us to challenge again, and as champions (did you hear?) we’ll be both the team that everyone wants to beat, and the team that is most likely to succeed.  But there are no guarantees (see: Liverpool this year).  I don’t know *which* of our rivals will catch us, but someone will make a hard push (I think United, even with Carrick at the helm, might make some noise).  City, Liverpool, and Chelsea are all in transition, one way or another, so they have to prove themselves at least as much as we do in our battle to retain our title.  Should we prevail again, or at least make a good fist of it (and win a cup or two), I believe the momentum will continue to grow and our rivals find it tough to make up groud.  So long as KSE continues to back the squad (re)building, Berta continues to weave his magic transfer rug, and Mikel doesn’t overcommit to the type of football we played for a lot of this year, we could be in for a golden age of wonderful football and success at The Arsenal.

BtM: The Premier League, Champions League, World Cup have all contributed to making the global game a money machine. Far sighted nation states and successful ‘businessmen’ proffering apparently unlimited amounts of roubles, dirham, baht, dollars, euros and Turkish lira have focused their efforts on England and Paris in an effort to achieve legitimacy for national behavioural characteristics and customs or to enrich their already burgeoning estates. This is the backcloth against which a golden era for The Arsenal has to be considered.

In the very simplest analysis, the richest team attracts the best players and the best players form a team that wins stuff. There are nuances on this, but that the underlying thesis is correct isn’t disputable. I think Arsenal are fortunate to have, in the Kroenkes, the owners that we do. While I don’t doubt that the income stream generated by all of their sports brands are at front of mind, it is very apparent that they appreciate that nourishing a winning habits at all of them benefits their estate, generates a huge feel good factor for themselves and great admiration and applause from the multitudes. Unlike, say, the Glazers, they have a sound appreciation and understanding of the teams that their wealth underpins.

Only just over a decade ago Arsenal’s income was approximately £300M (coming almost equally in £100M increments from Matchday, Broadcasting and Commercial). That figure has ballooned on the back of the money machine and better PL/CL performance to nearer £750M this season past. This new level, coupled with the very much improved global status of the Arsenal brand as a winner, positions Arsenal’s board to endorse a spending programme to bring a mix of the best and most promising talents on the planet to Emirates stadium. While all of our players are multi-millionaires already, collectively player wages are well below those available in Paris, Madrid and Manchester. If a golden era is to emerge, managing player and coach remuneration will need to be managed forward carefully (we don’t want situations like Casemiro at £600k; Alexis Sanchez at £500k pw).

I believe the owners are motivated to achieve more glory and wealth by supporting Mikel Arteta’s effort to build a stronger, more potent, technically skilled squad. Judicious procurement, continued tactical innovation, huge dollops of good fortune on the injury front and there is no reason why Arsenal and its growing global fan base cannot indeed enjoy a golden era. Other brands are available however, will have very similar motivations and some, underpinned by hydrocarbon revenues, will have even deeper pockets than the Kroenkes.

SP: I think a bit of both.  We won’t dominate because all the top teams will strengthen and it will become even harder.  If we buy well this Summer we can look forward to more success next season.

Has Mikel Arteta done enough to warrant a statue at the Emirates yet?

BtM: No. He’d find it embarrassing at this stage f the project and would rail against any such proposal. Once the Golden Era is firmly embedded, however, a statue will most certainly be up for consideration.

SP: No.

Scruz: Oh, god no.  Way too early to consider it.  Tom Whittaker, Don Howe, or Bertie Mee would deserve one on that basis well before Mikel.  But wouldn’t it be nice to ask that same question in a score of years and have it be an emphatic “Yes!”, due to his successes on and off the pitch?  See the ‘golden era” discussion.

What other comments do you have on last season?

SP: I think on reflection some of our purchases last summer, whilst improving depth and negating the panic of the guaranteed injuries, weren’t necessarily the game changers we needed.  I hope they all improve next season.

Scruz: I love this squad, and this club so much.  I am so proud to feel deep in my heart Rocky’s “Remember who you are, what you are, and who you represent”, and see it in every player we’re fielding right now, even if it doesn’t always translate into victory on the pitch.  COYG!!

BtM: For the coming season to shine on brightly, Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka need to return to the very peak of their capabilities. We need to be able to think of Saka in the same way that Liverpool at their best looked to Salah. Likewise for Ødegaard, the way that ManCheaty looked to De Bruyne. Martin and Bukayo have come off of a season blighted by injury (and more, apparently, in Martin’s case). Prime Saka and Ødegaard make CL success next season feasible, in a sub-prime set of both that likelihood is diminished. 

Eber Eze is a talent that Mikel has not been completely able to coach to his absolute best in a red and white shirt. Prime Eze would be a wonderful thing to behold and I’m hoping Arteta has that on his list of goals and objectives for the coming season.

Posted in Opinions, Season Review, Waffle | 59 Drinks »

Decisions, Decisions

Jun 28th, 2026 by

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This is the third time I’ve written a piece about what we need to do this summer to improve our team. There are so many ways we could approach it that my mind has gone back and forth both in terms of what I think we should do, and what I think we will do.

So, this final version will just highlight some of the choices the club have to make in the summer and some of the options. Hopefully, there will be thoughts in the drinks from lots of you about my suggestions and what you would do yourself, because there really is a lot to consider.

The most obvious starting point is to highlight the, well, obvious… we are an excellent defensive team who need to improve our attack. Pretty much everything from here on in assumes that as an agreed premise.

One simple way of being more dangerous is buying better attacking players. It looks like we are serious about trying to buy Morgan Rogers, and it is easy to see how he would be an upgrade in the left-attacking position. He’s an excellent player I like very much, and his running power and athleticism highlight one potential road we might go down: leaning into qualities we already have rather than trying to reinvent our entire team dynamic. This makes sense to me, and I hope we get a deal done.

It looks like we are after a new midfielder. Some want a passer, like Wharton. Others advocate for a talented youngster, like Bouaddi, who has room to develop but whose game is not yet set in stone. Personally, I do think we need someone who can cover for Rice, who has played too much in recent years. Of course, we won’t get a like for like option, but I think we should aim for someone who could at least do a similar job ie, mobile and can cover ground. MLS and Zubi are both excellent players, and perhaps a simple way of improving is to focus them on quicker ball progression?

Martin Odegaard’s situation is not clear cut. He has two years left on his contract, so it is the usual time to offer a new contract or look for a sale. I don’t think he has done enough to justify a new contract, especially on the type of wages he would want, but I don’t really want to sell him either. I think he’d be better if we used him for games that suit his skills, rather than having him as a nailed-on starter, but that can be a hard role for a captain to accept. If he shakes his injuries, then he could easily return to form, but it would be tough to bank on it. We could really do with him rediscovering his creativity, as well as his goal contributions. His off-field importance is obvious, but I would like to see us transition towards Declan Rice taking over the captaincy in the coming year. However, the Englishman’s respect for Odegaard is shared by the rest of his teammates and I don’t think the club will be in a hurry to pass the mantle. Lots of interesting possibilities, so let’s see what happens.

Similarly, there are a wide range of outcomes for Ethan Nwaneri and I don’t know what his future will look like either. Personally, I’d keep him for another season and see how he goes. He is much more physically developed now he’s started properly growing into his man’s body. He has also had no summer football, so will be ready for pre-season and the start of next season. I expect our team to feature some players in the first few weeks who might not be starters if the whole squad were fit and available (Mosquera and MLS to get some starts, Salmon and Dowman PL minutes, etc), but someone like Ethan could genuinely play his way into the team. Towards the end of last season, Arteta spoke revealingly about how he had to speak to Myles three or four-times during the season before he was able to explain what he wanted from him. Since they got on the same page, Myles has been immense. I think Arteta needs to do the same with Ethan, and that watching MLS take ownership of his place in the starting 11, in his favourite position, will remind Ethan that is what he wants for himself. I think he might be just the type of 10 we need; incisive, direct, risk-taking, rather than a possession merchant. At least, I hope he gets one more shot.

We could go and buy a striker. Personally, I would… I’d buy Kroupi, or possibly the big Italian lad at Inter. Or some other guy who the club have watched but I’ve never heard of. Essentially though, what I want is a young, talented striker who can be part of the group with Havertz and Big Vik, and who will be ready to take on more responsibility over the coming years whenever the others move on. It would be great to get a couple more highly talented players between about 20 and 24, just for the age profile of the squad. Keeping Havertz fit would be a huge help, and I expect Gyokeres to push on after a much-improved second half to his first season. But with only those two, we would be one light (although I suppose Merino could cover).

Personally, I am not particularly interested in Alvarez. He’s a good player but I don’t think he is worth the money Atleti want for him, he clearly wants to play for Barcelona anyway, and the whole thing looks complicated and fraught. I’d swerve it myself, but perhaps things will change and there is a deal to be done. As ever, it is hard to know.

From a tactical perspective, I do struggle to see how we fundamentally change the midfield dynamic. We could use Rice as a 6 and then play two 8s, but I suspect that instead we will stick with last season’s double pivot (Rice and either Zubi or MLS) with a 10 in front of them. Maybe a player like Bruno Guimares might shake it up a little, but I am not expecting a big change.

So, I think we should take a leaf from PSG’s book and push our fullbacks up high. To be fair, we did often do that last season, but both Timber and Calafiori got injuries, and their understudies don’t have the same attacking threat. Personally, I would try to buy an attacking fullback on both sides, as close to the style of PSG as possible. Hincapie does not offer enough in attack, and he is needed to share the left CB position with Gabriel. If Ben White can stay fit then we could keep him for another year, but personally I’d try to sell him and get in a younger guy. We have such a solid defensive platform, and all of our central midfielders are adept at covering the space left by roving fullbacks, that I would lean into turning our fullbacks into serious attacking threats. As well as extra bodies, it is important to have real quality from those positions, and I think we should be scouring the market for the right players.

I’d be happy enough to sell Trossard and/or Martinelli. We should definitely try to get Jesus off the books. Same with Norgaard. We don’t want to mess too much with a winning squad, but there needs to be some turnover. We really must bring in some real top quality attacking talent, as well as change how quickly we get the ball forward and how we structure our attacks. We play so many low blocks where teams block the centre and funnel us out wide (the horseshoe of death exists because that’s where teams give us the space to keep possession) that it makes sense to me to lean into that with attacking fullbacks.

But there are other options. Weirdly, given that Declan Rice is one of the best midfielders in the world, I don’t think he’s that easy to find a complimentary partner for. Zubi was good for the first half of last season, but I don’t think we’ve quite got that area sorted yet. Like Zubi, there are other players who we can hope for more from next season now they’ve had a year to bed in – Gyokeres. Madueke and Eze can certainly become more consistently influential. And even an extra five goals from each of them would be very handy. Is this the year that Max Dowman steps into the first team on a regular basis? Could we bring in someone like Bradley Barcola, a top talent bought from a big team who hasn’t quite been the main star and is ready to show the world what he can do? There are so many ways this could play out.

Let me offer a few final thoughts. Arteta often overcorrects whatever he saw as our biggest problem the previous year, so I think we can be pretty sure he is plotting ways to score a lot more goals. Oh, goody! Josh Kroenke is fully on board, and he’ll be fighting the Arsenal corner with his Dad, making sure that money is there if the deal is right. We have an excellent (and growing) recruitment team who are identifying young talents as well as players at the very high end of the market. The twin goals next year are retaining the Premier League and winning the Champions League. The pool of players who move the needle for us is pretty small, and I expect us to be very serious about bringing in people who can help us win the biggest trophies in the club game. We are in a strong position and everyone at the club is working to leverage it. What’s not to like?

I dunno how this is gonna play out, but I am excited to find out…

Until next time, ‘holics.

Posted in Interlull, Waffle | 160 Drinks »

The sound of the terraces

Jun 26th, 2026 by

Arsenal has always been a singing club. It’s one of the things I most love about going to football. The creativity mostly comes from away fans as they make up songs on trains, in buses, in pubs and in away concourses all over the land. I remember my son and I going to Leicester away and visiting an away pub just ten minutes from the ground. As we walked in we were hit with a wall of noise. A lad was standing on a table, pint in hand, leading chorus after chorus of a song which was new then, but soon became a terrace favourite.

Danny Ceballos
Danny Ceballos!
Drinks Estrella, Eats Paella
The boy is f*cking magic!

I first went to Highbury in the seventies. Apart from the band of the Metropolitan police, there was another ritual in front of the North Bank. As the players warmed up, we would sing their names and their songs. Liam Brady was my favourite back then. We serenaded him with

One Liam Brady!
There’s only one Liam Brady!

But that wasn’t good enough for Chippy. He wouldn’t acknowledge the fans until we broke into a song which actually had been Charlie George’s originally, now reworked for Brady.

Brady, Brady, Brady, Brady
Born is the King of Highbury!

At which point he would raise an iconic arm and salute us!

Another one was

“We all agree
Rixy is better than Hoddle!” (Spoiler – he wasn’t).

There are so many favourites over the years. A couple just for memories (share yours in the drinks)

He’s tall
He’s shit
He plays when no-ones fit
Big Cygan, Big Cygan, Big Cygan!

Don’t blame it on the sunshine
Don’t blame it on the moonlight
Don’t blame it on the good times
Blame it on Eboue!

But this piece is about this last, Premier League winning, season. There are fans that make a lot of noise (Palace, Newcastle). There are fans that only have one song (Sp*rs and that dreadful dirge). Right now, I don’t think there is any team with more songs about individual players. I counted 18 of the current first team squad who had their own songs sung this last season. Here they are, with just the first line (full lyric available on request).

Individual players

Hincapie (Pierro Hincapie, the Arsenal get excited just to see him play)

Saliba (Tequila!)

Gabriel (You’ll fall in love, I know you will)

White (Benny Benny White, Benny White, Benny Benny White!)

Saka (Saka, Saka, running down the wing! Saka, Saka, hear The Arsenal sing!)

Lewis-Skelly (49, 49 Lewis-Skelly!)

Rice (“We got him half price” which morphed into “He said it’s not done, he said it’s not done” in May)

Zubimendi (Last Christmas I gave you my heart, but the very next year you gave it away, this year, to save me from tears, I’ll give it to Zubimendi!)

Martinelli (His name is Gabi! He’s from São Paulo! And he plays for Arsenal!)

Trossard (Trossard again ole ole!)

Havertz (Waka waka hey hey!)

Gyokeres (He comes from Sweden, the girls are very nice)

Odegaard (first heard at Goodison three years ago, “Been dreaming all day of our number 8, Martin Odegaard Oi! Oi! Oi!)

Merino (woah, woah woah woah woah, woah woah woah woah, Mikel Merino!)

Timber (Jurien Timber, he’s our Dutch defender, he never gives the ball away!)

Dowman (Super, super Max, super, super Max, super, super Max, super Maxie Dowman!)

Eze (My favourite player song of the year and worth quoting in full)

You can hear them crying at the Lane
Eberichi scores again
He called Mik Arteta, he said Wow!
F*ck off Tottenham, I’m a Gooner now!

Madueke (da da da, Noni Madueke!)

I can only count four current players without their own song: Raya, Calafiori, Mosquera and Norgaard. Work in progress!

Team songs

You know all the usual ones and they all appeared, including  a ten minute long version of “So Paddy got up” at Portsmouth. The most frequently sung team song as the season went one was of course

We won the league at Anfield!
We won it at the Lane (Twice!)
Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford
No-one can say the same!
Mikel Arteta’s Army!
We’re Arsenal through and through
We’ll sing this on the North Bank
And in the Clock End too!
Ole, ole ole!

The brilliant North London forever was one of the sounds of this season. And the old self deprecating Arsenal humour follower the spirit of “Boring Boring Arsenal!” with

“Set piece again!
Set piece again
Set piece again Ole Ole!”

At West Ham, as we began to believe, a couple of songs rang out. Firstly, when Trossard scored and some of the Arsenal fans in the home end outed themselves by celebrating and were roughed up, the away fans immediately struck up with

“We sit where we want!
We sit where we want!
We are the Arsenal
We sit where we want!”

And quickly followed by a repost to all the Arsenal haters out there

“We are unbearable!
We are unbearable!
We are unbearable!
We are unbearable!”

But my favourite team song of the season, was the one sung when Thomas Frank was the manager up the road and pictured holding an Arsenal branded coffee cup. It was particularly loud and frequently repeated as we stuffed them at White Hart Lane.

“Arsenal Boys, are on a bender
Thomas Frank is a silver member!”

Have a good Summer all.


Posted in Club History, Fan Experience, Tribute | 43 Drinks »

A Year And A Squad To Remember

Jun 20th, 2026 by

The Prologue

When I received the request to do this piece I was in the middle of a horribly complicated wrangle with Virgin Media who, on 8th May, right before the final, season defining three weeks of the season, accidentally disconnected my services. All of them. Internet, TV, landline (not that I’ve had one plugged in for years) – the lot ! In fact, as a result, I hadn’t received the original request.

When I eventually spotted the ‘memory jogger’ request, I misread it in haste as a brief to pick out the outstanding performers of the season. One of the few serious points I have often made in this bar is that I am loathe, considering the team ethic that Mikel Arteta has fostered in the club, to ever pick out a Man of The Match. Every player in this team, and this squad, is so dependent on all the others, I feel it makes individual awards unfair and even a bit redundant.

Having subsequently re-read the brief, I was both relieved and simultaneously perturbed to discover it was a good deal farther reaching than that. A squad review detailing “Who was outstanding, who disappointed and the most noteworthy improvements this year.” To quote Scooby-Doo, “Yikes!” – this requires TTG levels of summarising skill. And I’m afraid that for all of you who like your football articles to contain lessons in classic literature and ancient history, Scooby-Doo is all you’re getting from me!

The Disappointments

I don’t think anyone in the squad has been a disappointment per se. The great strength of the squad has been the spirit, the togetherness and the genuine warmth this group have demonstrated towards each other.

I have felt disappointed for a number of players because their playing time and contributions have been seriously curtailed by injury. Those that fall into this category would be – number of games in (x) – Gabriel Jesus (13), Kai Havertz (24), Mikel Merino (14), Ben White (9), Martin Odegaard (13), Riccardo Calafiori (9), and Jurrien Timber (8). Add to that a cautionary note concerning Max Dowman who was also unavailable for 13 games with the ligament injury he suffered – a good reason to be extremely careful when considering playing a 16 year old against cynical old professionals. I have concentrated on those injuries that have caused successive weeks of unavailability. They add up to a total of 103 weeks and that is a lot of talent to have missing from the squad over a season.

I guess this section would also have to include Christian Nørgaard. It’s fairly clear that the manager decided he was not at the required level to rotate in midfield – a pity because it would have enabled Martin Zubimendi to pace himself better over the season and not suffer the dip in form caused by a relentless first term in English football. It should be stressed here that Zubimendi proved a tremendous addition to the team, allowing Declan Rice to progress more into his “8” role knowing that the back door was securely guarded (no, don’t titter, Missus!). It should also be noted that the manager and players have made the point that Nørgaard, despite his lack of playing time, has been a tremendous example to the squad in terms of the standards he sets.

If I really have to be critical in a title winning season, I would say Noni Madueke has disappointed me. He clearly has ability and, hopefully, his second season will see him come good but, after all the step overs and feints, his final delivery has often been poor. And I absolutely hate to say I fear this could be the end of the road for Gabriel Martinelli. I’m not sure left wing is his best position. He is not a tricky player and being marked by a touch line does him no favours. His pace is his greatest strength but going round the outside and ending on his weak foot renders his end product underwhelming too. He has seldom to never been deployed through the middle – where I personally think he is best suited – but I suppose there must be a reason for that. He has a tremendous work ethic and has been here so long he is one of our own. A thoroughly likeable, genuine member of the squad. I would love to see him still here but if the club is looking to strengthen the attacking department of the squad, I do feel only one of Martinelli, Jesus and Trossard will survive.

The Most Notable Improvements

My own first nominee for this award is Viktor Gyökeres. He eventually arrived last summer for a reported fee of €64 million with a phenomenal goal scoring record behind him in Portugal, no pre-season and, it must be said, a fair amount of scepticism that he would be able to transplant his skill set directly into the higher class environment of the Premier League. For a good while it seemed the sceptics were right. He looked slow, clumsy and weak in the challenge, lacked ball control, failed to hold the ball up or bring other players into the game and, to my memory, only scored either against the weaker sides in the Premier League, from the penalty spot, or in the more comfortable conditions of the Champions League. If Gyökeres was the answer to our goal scoring problems, what on earth had been the question?

It looks quite clear now that the newly recruited Gabriel Heinze has been of massive benefit to Gyökeres over the season. Apart from improving his sprinting speed, he now has a totally different attitude to how he receives, controls and holds the ball up. It starts with a determined step across his centre back locking him in place with his arms, a step and push backwards to clear a yard of space in which to control the ball and provide the vision of where his team mates are. He has begun to integrate far better into team play and has accumulated a total of 21 goals across the season which is a very decent first season return.

My next two suggestions might surprise a bit in this category. They are Leandro Trossard and David Raya. I have to admit to being a little disappointed and quite surprised when Trossard was offered significantly improved terms on his contract before the start of the season. I thought he had looked past his best the season before, only really impressed as a substitute and generally, much like a prawn cocktail, disappointed as a starter. As it transpired, the new season found him in much better form. Despite a dip in form in the second half of the season, he turned in twelve goals in all competitions, worked really hard and proved a valuable squad member considering the long absences of Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, and the unfortunately underwhelming form of Gabriel Martinelli.

David Raya had clearly made himself a very obvious first choice before last season. However, I thought he scaled even greater heights last term, pulling off saves that earned the team several highly valuable points. When he first arrived he was, by his own admission, quite nervous about stepping into a team where expectations were at a different level to his previous clubs. He was also replacing a fans favourite in Aaron Ramsdale and in his first season he often looked quite jittery, seemed to unsettle the defence to me and took up some very odd positions between the posts. Last season though he built even on the season before. He plays as a sweeper keeper and is an integral part of how the team plays out from the back. He is now regarded by many as the best in the world. We have come to regard the truly exceptional as almost the norm now as David Raya looks practically unbeatable. (Except on penalties, shh!)

The Outstanding

I could almost list the whole of the rest of the squad in this section. The obvious choices would be Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhäes, and William Saliba who were inexhaustible at the core of the defensive formation on which the title bid was built. Gabriel also made a fantastic contribution to the attack, creating havoc at our anti-football set pieces although I was surprised to see that he only scored four times across all competitions during the season. It seemed a lot more.

I want to mention Martin Zubimendi again here too. C100 referred to him earlier in the season as a “Swiss gold watch of a player”, a phrase that has stuck in my head since. His quality absolutely shone through at the beginning of the season as his defensive covering helped to release Declan Rice to go forwards whenever possible. He was available for the whole of the season although it’s physicality eventually took its toll on him, requiring some time for him to recover during the final few weeks. That, in turn, led to the emergence of the first of my three, intentionally possibly less obvious, main nominations for this section – Myles Lewis-Skelly.

We had all been impressed with Myles when he stepped up to fill the troublesome left back slot – an inverting left back slot at that – the season before. It was something of a surprise not to see him featuring at all at the beginning of last season. Mikel Arteta clearly preferred to go with the physicality, experience and extra defensive capability of Riccardo Calafiori, and for a lot of last season it appeared that, sadly, the writing might be on the wall for Myles.

What we didn’t know was that behind the scenes the manager was schooling Myles in exactly how to play his boyhood and academy midfield role in a highly demanding first team setup. And then, just as Zubimendi began to tire and Mikel Merino remained sidelined with his broken foot, up stepped Myles Lewis-Skelly again to absolutely help to save our season. He slotted into our midfield like he’d been playing there for years, displaying strength, tenacity and an ability to win and carry the ball past opponents as well as anyone in the team. He played with a lovely calm and desire to always try to look for the positive forwards option. Declan Rice must have breathed a huge sigh of relief to see the Lewis-Skelly cavalry arrive, and possibly took a quick look over his shoulder at the young man showing the potential to match him in a few seasons time. Myles was entrusted with the remaining league games of the season and was then paid the highest compliment with a start in the Champions League final. A quite brilliant contribution from such a likeable, talented young man at a critical time of the season.

Christhian Mosquera is my second personal choice for the “outstanding” section. He arrived from Valencia last summer at the age of twenty-one for a fee of £13million. Since then he has played at centre back on both left and right sides, covering multi-game absences of Gabriel and Saliba, generally reckoned to be the best centre back pairing in the world. Surely the highest accolade he could have earnt was that the absences of our first choices were hardly noticed. He is a proper physical presence, calm under pressure and careful with his passing out of defence.

He also filled in at right back when both Jurrien Timber and Ben White were ruled out with injuries for the final games of the league campaign. Then, as our third choice right back he became another very young squad member to be entrusted with a start in the Champions League final. His job was to mark the best left winger on the planet in Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The PSG man only managed to get past him on one solitary occasion, and that was after both Christhian and Bukayo Saka had been disabled on our right hand side by two of the dodgiest yellow cards you will ever see – and as Arsenal fans we’ve seen a few. We may need him at the beginning of next season if reports are true that William Saliba has been playing with a back problem for some time but the French are insisting on playing him through the World Cup – I’m sorry, The Donald J Trump World Peace Cup. In any event, a tremendous season from Mosquera. We are lucky to have him.

Piero Hincapié gets the last of the three spots. He came on loan from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer with an obligation to buy at the end of the season “depending on conditions”. I have no idea what those conditions were but it’s impossible to think they were not met. He will be a €50 million addition to the squad, presumably some time in June.

I don’t know anything about Ecuadorian football other than when ever I’ve seen brief glimpses of their national team playing, the players have looked technically competent, quick, athletic and very strong. Hincapié has not disappointed. He initially filled in at left back during one of Calafiori’s injury spells and then at centre back when Gabriel was unavailable. Since then he appears to be at least equal first choice at left back, probably depending on Mikel Arteta’s tactical preference on a given day. Calafiori offers more going forwards, certainly in terms of variety and chaos in the opposition area, but Hincapié is the better defender when facing a particularly dangerous winger.

I can’t remember a game when Hincapié has disappointed in either of his positions. He is an aggressive defender, tackles well, a careful passer and must be an absolute nightmare to play against – a big lad, strong and relentless after his man. You could argue that he doesn’t have Calafiori’s ability to excite but he has settled seemlessly into the side and been reliable whenever needed in vital positions in our defensive formation.

Conclusion

Ultimately the squad held up and delivered our first league title for the now much over quoted twenty two years. However, it did get close considering the level of investment made last summer, once again due to the amount of injuries suffered. We finished up stretched in the full back and midfield departments by the end of the season, just as we had been in the attacking areas at the start of the season.

The most alarming of those injuries to me were the ones incurred by Saliba, Saka and Calafiori, an incredible four times, in match warmups. We have been unlucky in that injuries have tended to hit certain areas of the squad in clusters. Personally, without any inside knowledge, I still feel our recovery record and strength and conditioning practices have been suspect for a couple of years.

I have offered that opinion on the blog several times over that period so am not simply jumping on the bandwagon given that interestingly in that regard, the club has recently sacked head doctor, Zafar Iqbal, and are to appoint the former Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest head of medical services, Arnaldo Abrantes. Spanish physiotherapist Joaquin Acedo has also been brought in to review the club’s injury management. We’ll see.
The last and probably most important thing to say is that Mikel Arteta, Andrea Berta and the owners have built an incredible squad. In fact they’ve rebuilt an incredible club. Whoever has played, coached, supported or in any way been involved, they have developed a very special atmosphere throughout the entire club.

There is a wonderful togetherness throughout the squad which must be carefully protected over the course of this summer’s comings and goings. It will be sad to see any of them go but no club can stand still in elite football. Thank you and very best wishes to every single one of them. Quite apart from the trophies, you have given us all back genuine pride in this great club.

Posted in Analysis, Season Review | 47 Drinks »

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