Good day to you.
The biggest piece of news today revolves around Arsene Wenger and the matter of his contract.
ESPN reports talks between Arsenal FC and our manager are to be held, with a sum of £15 in the offing. In a nutshell, a two-year deal, worth £7.5 million per year is to be offered to our manager. Question is, does he deserve it?
There were a lot of fans, unhappy at how things progress, in the immediate aftermath of our opening-day defeat to Villa. Most of them wanted blood, demanding the manager's resignation (I was one of those). Arsenal Supporters Trust even released a statement, which viewed any talks of contract extension unacceptable, saying the manager has much to prove, before such talks are even taken into consideration. The only thing, that has kept the manager relatively safe (or, at least, immune to immediate sacking) was a run of four wins he (and the team) racked up, with a North London derby cherry on top. Then, the manager has brought Ozil in. And suddenly, his position is infinitely stronger. One signing, and we're ready to stick to Arsene for at least two more years.
And I think, it's a right thing to do. Yes, we've only brought in one player, who by no means can provide cover for all of the positions we need to strengthen number- and quality-wise. But it's not all about the player, rather about, what his acquisition means, what it symbolizes. Buying Ozil was a statement of intent in more ways than one.
Firstly, we showed, we're ready to fight for silverware. Because of how we've handled our business. Get rid of deadwood and acquire super-quality, Wenger was looking for. We showed, we're not some breeding ground, only producing quality players for sale. We kept the players, that will give it all in every game, and added to that mix. True, we're still a bit short number-wise, but the squad we have is as good as any.
Secondly, we showed, we can do business at top level, which was somewhat of a worry, prior to Ozil signing. We can handle the pressure, bide our time (you are shocked, I know) and bring in anyone we want. Because if we can cope with Real, we can cope with anyone. Dick Law isn't worthless, after all.
And finally, we can persuade players to join us, which is no mean feat. The missing ingredient may well be the manager, something I talked at length yesterday, but whatever it is, we are still a club everyone wants to play in. And all of this is encapsulated in just one signing.
So, by all means, we should keep Wenger. He's proven, he can operate in this new environment, proven, he can deal with this transfer market madness and come out victorious. So sign him. And give him some more money in January. So we can all see him lifting a couple of cups in May.
Until later
Supporter of Arsene Wenger and lover of Jack Wilshere & Mesut Ozil. My positivity sometimes borders on criminal, but I prefer to have it this way. Occasional emotional outbursts aside, I try to stay as objective as possible
Monday, 9 September 2013
A signing?
Saturday, 7 September 2013
Drawing to a close
Good evening everyone.
A busy week that was and I'm glad it's over. Due to the new term kicking into high gear I wasn't able to write much and that's a problem I'll have to solve next week. Not quite sure how, but I will. So check back often.
Not a lot going on these last few days, truth be told. The Interlull is doing it's job perfectly once again, depriving us of club-related stuff we're so used to. I did spend quite some time, gloating at Man Utd failure during transfer window. A lot of people blamed Arsenal FC for not being able to bring players in (something we proved wrong, courtesy to our great late transfer), but look at our rivals.
They have brought a youngster for a laughable fee and Fellaini for a ridiculous price of £30 million. An old pal did his trusty manager a favour and switched places. I guess, it's not as bad, as it would have, should we be only capable to buy Flamini, but ultimately United's campaign is a failure. An utter disaster.
A busy week that was and I'm glad it's over. Due to the new term kicking into high gear I wasn't able to write much and that's a problem I'll have to solve next week. Not quite sure how, but I will. So check back often.
Not a lot going on these last few days, truth be told. The Interlull is doing it's job perfectly once again, depriving us of club-related stuff we're so used to. I did spend quite some time, gloating at Man Utd failure during transfer window. A lot of people blamed Arsenal FC for not being able to bring players in (something we proved wrong, courtesy to our great late transfer), but look at our rivals.
They have brought a youngster for a laughable fee and Fellaini for a ridiculous price of £30 million. An old pal did his trusty manager a favour and switched places. I guess, it's not as bad, as it would have, should we be only capable to buy Flamini, but ultimately United's campaign is a failure. An utter disaster.
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
Ozil and Viviano in, Bendther and Park stay
Good day everyone.
Sorry I wasn't able to report yesterday, but I had a busy day. Much busier, than expected, in fact.
As all of you are no doubt aware by now, two new players joined us in the final hours of the transfer window: Emiliano Viviano (on loan) and Mesut Ozil.
The first deal is a run-of-the-mill one. We lacked experience and capable back-up for our two Poles, so we went out and loaned a decent goalkeeper. I don't know much about Viviano, other than what I've read in the interview at the official site. He seems a decent enough guy, so let's see, what the future at Arsenal have in store for him. Whispers are, a buy-out clause was included in his contract, allowing Arsenal to sign the keeper at the end of this season for €6 million. Let's see, what happens next. There's a whole season for our newcomer to play to be able to prove himself.
Another acquisition (a permanent one, this time) is, of course, Ozil. It was something so extraoridary, so unusual, so unexpected, that I didn't even know what to say at first. I blamed the manager and everyone, who's involved in out transfers (not without basis at the time), but I'm taking my hat off for securing that deal. Fantastically well done.
This transfer smashes the club record to pieces, coming at a whopping £40 million and I think, the player is worth every penny spent on him. He's 24, in fantastic shape, with a lot of experience already and, most importantly, he's a team player. In his four years at Real Madrid Ozil has netted twice as much assists, comparing to a number of goals he scored. Pretty much everything points to the fact, that the German is a passer and was most likely brought in, because of his build-up play, which we weren't very good at lately. I'm not the one for the numbers (yet), if you want them, so have a look here, if you are interested.
Ozil, interestingly, is the biggest signing in the Premier league this summer. It was somewhat surprising to learn that, given how much money Man City and Tottenham splashed, but it turned out, not one of their newcomers came at a bigger price, than ours.
Ozil has spoken about why he came here, citing a phone call from our manager as a major factor. Seems Wenger still has his stature, courtesy to the name he made himself earlier, winning a lot of things with us. Players aren't only drawn to the club and the wages, managers also play their role, and our manager has a world-known reputation. It's not always this way, even in the biggest clubs, which may explain the fact Moyes was only able to sign Fellaini on deadline day.
There was an interesting bit in the papers, where Levi, Spurs' president, was cited as trying to thwart our efforts in acquiring Ozil. It was even suggested, that it was part of his "Sell-Bale plan", but Perez clearly wasn't inclined to include such a clause in their deal with Real. I don't know, whether there's any truth to this rumour, but if there is, it's both outrageous and funny. Outrageous for obvious reasons, funny because we've eventually pulled the deal off and left Spurs with nothing twice inside three days. Delicious.
You know, it's actually not long, before I begin to hate Tottenham well and truly, should they continue in this vein. Villas-Boas keeping Bale close to the chest, so we won't buy new players before derby, Levi doing likewise, to see us fail entirely. Two scumbags. And well done, Arsene.
All this joy from bringing in a top-level midfielder somewhat hides the fact, that no striker was bought.
We tried, hard as we can, to sign Ba until last possible moment, but Mourinho pulled the plug. He was later quoted as saying, he doesn't want to strengthen us further, seeing as how we already are title contenders, having bought Ozil. Guess we should not have put so much faith in Ba, knowing, who's pulling the strings behind this situation, but it is what it is.
It only leaves us with Giroud and (probably) Walcott. I'm not sure about the last one, because I don't know, who can cover the right flank, should the need arise. Ozil, maybe, but from the bits I gather, he'll most likely play under the striker. It leaves TGSTEL for us to content with. He didn't leave for Crystal palace, cause we pulled the plug, when it became clear we won't sign Ba.
Speaking to International Football Management, the Dane expressed his displeasure at staying, but said, he'll do the best he can for the team. Hope, that's the case, because he's the only back-up we have. An injured back-up, at the moment. Time for him to pull himself together, recover from his injures (mental and physical) and get primed for a recall to our senior squad.
So, where does this all leave us in terms of the squad? We are still short in central defence, though Vermaelen should return after the break and out attacking options are far from ideal, worsened by the fact that the Ox and Poldolski won't make the team in the near future. Goalkeeping and midfield situation are solved for the time being. We now have to hold on until the winter transfer window and hope it'll bring a few players with it.
As the players have all left to play for their respective countries, the next game will be held 10 days from now. Because of it, I don't think I'll be able to write every day, but check back regularly, cause you never know.
Until later
Sorry I wasn't able to report yesterday, but I had a busy day. Much busier, than expected, in fact.
As all of you are no doubt aware by now, two new players joined us in the final hours of the transfer window: Emiliano Viviano (on loan) and Mesut Ozil.
The first deal is a run-of-the-mill one. We lacked experience and capable back-up for our two Poles, so we went out and loaned a decent goalkeeper. I don't know much about Viviano, other than what I've read in the interview at the official site. He seems a decent enough guy, so let's see, what the future at Arsenal have in store for him. Whispers are, a buy-out clause was included in his contract, allowing Arsenal to sign the keeper at the end of this season for €6 million. Let's see, what happens next. There's a whole season for our newcomer to play to be able to prove himself.
Another acquisition (a permanent one, this time) is, of course, Ozil. It was something so extraoridary, so unusual, so unexpected, that I didn't even know what to say at first. I blamed the manager and everyone, who's involved in out transfers (not without basis at the time), but I'm taking my hat off for securing that deal. Fantastically well done.
This transfer smashes the club record to pieces, coming at a whopping £40 million and I think, the player is worth every penny spent on him. He's 24, in fantastic shape, with a lot of experience already and, most importantly, he's a team player. In his four years at Real Madrid Ozil has netted twice as much assists, comparing to a number of goals he scored. Pretty much everything points to the fact, that the German is a passer and was most likely brought in, because of his build-up play, which we weren't very good at lately. I'm not the one for the numbers (yet), if you want them, so have a look here, if you are interested.
Ozil, interestingly, is the biggest signing in the Premier league this summer. It was somewhat surprising to learn that, given how much money Man City and Tottenham splashed, but it turned out, not one of their newcomers came at a bigger price, than ours.
Ozil has spoken about why he came here, citing a phone call from our manager as a major factor. Seems Wenger still has his stature, courtesy to the name he made himself earlier, winning a lot of things with us. Players aren't only drawn to the club and the wages, managers also play their role, and our manager has a world-known reputation. It's not always this way, even in the biggest clubs, which may explain the fact Moyes was only able to sign Fellaini on deadline day.
There was an interesting bit in the papers, where Levi, Spurs' president, was cited as trying to thwart our efforts in acquiring Ozil. It was even suggested, that it was part of his "Sell-Bale plan", but Perez clearly wasn't inclined to include such a clause in their deal with Real. I don't know, whether there's any truth to this rumour, but if there is, it's both outrageous and funny. Outrageous for obvious reasons, funny because we've eventually pulled the deal off and left Spurs with nothing twice inside three days. Delicious.
You know, it's actually not long, before I begin to hate Tottenham well and truly, should they continue in this vein. Villas-Boas keeping Bale close to the chest, so we won't buy new players before derby, Levi doing likewise, to see us fail entirely. Two scumbags. And well done, Arsene.
All this joy from bringing in a top-level midfielder somewhat hides the fact, that no striker was bought.
We tried, hard as we can, to sign Ba until last possible moment, but Mourinho pulled the plug. He was later quoted as saying, he doesn't want to strengthen us further, seeing as how we already are title contenders, having bought Ozil. Guess we should not have put so much faith in Ba, knowing, who's pulling the strings behind this situation, but it is what it is.
It only leaves us with Giroud and (probably) Walcott. I'm not sure about the last one, because I don't know, who can cover the right flank, should the need arise. Ozil, maybe, but from the bits I gather, he'll most likely play under the striker. It leaves TGSTEL for us to content with. He didn't leave for Crystal palace, cause we pulled the plug, when it became clear we won't sign Ba.
Speaking to International Football Management, the Dane expressed his displeasure at staying, but said, he'll do the best he can for the team. Hope, that's the case, because he's the only back-up we have. An injured back-up, at the moment. Time for him to pull himself together, recover from his injures (mental and physical) and get primed for a recall to our senior squad.
So, where does this all leave us in terms of the squad? We are still short in central defence, though Vermaelen should return after the break and out attacking options are far from ideal, worsened by the fact that the Ox and Poldolski won't make the team in the near future. Goalkeeping and midfield situation are solved for the time being. We now have to hold on until the winter transfer window and hope it'll bring a few players with it.
As the players have all left to play for their respective countries, the next game will be held 10 days from now. Because of it, I don't think I'll be able to write every day, but check back regularly, cause you never know.
Until later
Monday, 2 September 2013
In-between
Good evening everyone.
Yesterday I wrote about a preliminary transfer report, in the hopes I'll have something to report in 23-hour time, but seems I was wrong. So just a short one for you today.
As of yet, we still have not completed a single deal, which is quite horrific, seeing as the transfer window shuts in less than 5 hours. There are, however, encouraging signs about quite a few players, so I'll start with those.
The most heavily linked player is Mesut Ozil, with all and sundry blowing their trumpets, the move has already taken place. Goal.com even went as far as to tell as the exact sum, we'll pay for the Turkish German. They also mentioned his wages, something close €150 thousand per week, making Ozil (hopefully) our highest paid player. Fingers crossed, he'll join us in no time, though according to the papers, he already has.
The other player is Italian keeper Emiliano Viviano, with Palermo's president and the official tweeter account of the player saying, he's undergone a medical. If those sources are to be believed (I'm trusting no one, till I see official confirmation on the site), Viviano has joined us on a season-long loan with an option to buy him for €6 million at the end of it.
Others are linked less strongly. Talk of Di Maria is never ceasing, while Kaka seems to have moved back to Milan. I'm not 100 percent sure, but then again, Arsene never showed any interest in the player. The news papers can talk of this move readily, knowing the pile of cash we have in the bank. Over the course of the summer every prominent player was linked to us just because we have the money.
I don't know the situation with Benzema and whether we're still interested in Mata and Cabaye. No word whatsoever on the fate of Real Madrid man, Cabaye's talk also seems to have died down, while Mata is on the brink of joining PSG. I'll be surprised, if he does. The Spaniard is a huge talent, comparable to that of Cazorla, and if Mourinho decided, he's disposable, well, the Portuguese is bonkers. I understand he may have his own vision of the team, but Mata was one of the leaders last year, combining with Hazard to great effect and if the manager wants he to go, I'd say we should jump at our chance.
Oh, I forgot to mention another Chelsea man on, who's probably on his way out. Demba Ba. The reason, I'm commenting on this situation, is because the Senegalese is rumoured to be in Wenger's sights, if not for a permanent transfer, than maybe a loan move. We shall see in due course. Tomorrow, actually.
Nothing to add to that, which I'm truly sorry about. I hope to wake tomorrow morning, only to find out, we signed all of the above. Just do it, Arsene. Open your chequebook.
Back tomorrow
Yesterday I wrote about a preliminary transfer report, in the hopes I'll have something to report in 23-hour time, but seems I was wrong. So just a short one for you today.
As of yet, we still have not completed a single deal, which is quite horrific, seeing as the transfer window shuts in less than 5 hours. There are, however, encouraging signs about quite a few players, so I'll start with those.
The most heavily linked player is Mesut Ozil, with all and sundry blowing their trumpets, the move has already taken place. Goal.com even went as far as to tell as the exact sum, we'll pay for the Turkish German. They also mentioned his wages, something close €150 thousand per week, making Ozil (hopefully) our highest paid player. Fingers crossed, he'll join us in no time, though according to the papers, he already has.
The other player is Italian keeper Emiliano Viviano, with Palermo's president and the official tweeter account of the player saying, he's undergone a medical. If those sources are to be believed (I'm trusting no one, till I see official confirmation on the site), Viviano has joined us on a season-long loan with an option to buy him for €6 million at the end of it.
Others are linked less strongly. Talk of Di Maria is never ceasing, while Kaka seems to have moved back to Milan. I'm not 100 percent sure, but then again, Arsene never showed any interest in the player. The news papers can talk of this move readily, knowing the pile of cash we have in the bank. Over the course of the summer every prominent player was linked to us just because we have the money.
I don't know the situation with Benzema and whether we're still interested in Mata and Cabaye. No word whatsoever on the fate of Real Madrid man, Cabaye's talk also seems to have died down, while Mata is on the brink of joining PSG. I'll be surprised, if he does. The Spaniard is a huge talent, comparable to that of Cazorla, and if Mourinho decided, he's disposable, well, the Portuguese is bonkers. I understand he may have his own vision of the team, but Mata was one of the leaders last year, combining with Hazard to great effect and if the manager wants he to go, I'd say we should jump at our chance.
Oh, I forgot to mention another Chelsea man on, who's probably on his way out. Demba Ba. The reason, I'm commenting on this situation, is because the Senegalese is rumoured to be in Wenger's sights, if not for a permanent transfer, than maybe a loan move. We shall see in due course. Tomorrow, actually.
Nothing to add to that, which I'm truly sorry about. I hope to wake tomorrow morning, only to find out, we signed all of the above. Just do it, Arsene. Open your chequebook.
Back tomorrow
Sunday, 1 September 2013
Tottenham review: you can't buy class
A very good evening to all of you. What a joyous evening that is.
As you may have guessed, Arsenal came out victorious in a North London derby today. Just an hour ago, actually. But first things first.
Arsene Wenger made three changes from the squad that have beaten Fenerbahce five days ago. Rosicky for injured Podolski, Gibbs for Monreal and Koscielny for Sagna. I have to say I was a bit surprised by the manager's decision to start Jenks over Sagna. My perplexity was increased still, when I saw Chadli (I think) running riot on our right flank during the entire first half. Maybe it was down to the fact, that Walcott wasn't providing any cover for our young right-back. He did play closer to Jenkinson during the second period, which ensured all Spurs' attacks broke down swiftly down that flank.
As you may have guessed, Arsenal came out victorious in a North London derby today. Just an hour ago, actually. But first things first.
Arsene Wenger made three changes from the squad that have beaten Fenerbahce five days ago. Rosicky for injured Podolski, Gibbs for Monreal and Koscielny for Sagna. I have to say I was a bit surprised by the manager's decision to start Jenks over Sagna. My perplexity was increased still, when I saw Chadli (I think) running riot on our right flank during the entire first half. Maybe it was down to the fact, that Walcott wasn't providing any cover for our young right-back. He did play closer to Jenkinson during the second period, which ensured all Spurs' attacks broke down swiftly down that flank.
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