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Arsenal transfers: Aubameyang and Sanchez news reveals Wenger’s lack of power
The facts are clear. Arsenal have not recruited Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund. Alexis Sanchez has not joined Manchester United. “These kind of things, it’s better when it’s secret and when you don’t come out on it, and when you announce it when it’s over the line. Apart from the deal we just spoke about, Alexis and Mkhitaryan could happen, yes, but nothing else is close,” says Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
Announcing deals before contracts are signed is foolish. Media can rush the gun and guess. Remember this:
No deal is ever done until the player is kissing the badge and checking his bank account.
Of course, Wenger might not know anything. Oliver Kay explains in the Times:
Wenger rejected a series of proposals last year over the appointment of a director of football.. but essentially that role, the one that the manager felt would be a threat to his authority, has been created and split in two. Transfer strategy is being driven by the new head of recruitment Sven Mislintat, formerly of Dortmund, and the start of next month will bring the arrival of Raul Sanllehi, the former Barcelona director of football who, in what looks a diplomatic nod to Wenger, will be called head of football relations.
Wenger can speak about deals but he’s no long setting the agenda.
Posted: 19th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Arsenal: Wenger laments Walcott sale
Everton have signed Theo Walcott from Arsenal. Walcott has joined on a £20m on a three-and-a-half year contract. This is good news for all parties. Walcott has stagnated at Arsenal. Everton could be the flip he requires to restart a career that promise much and delivered less. In his 12 seasons at Arsenal, Walcott has scored 108 goals in 397 appearances. Not too shabby at all. But the feeling persists that the stats should have been more impressive.
“It felt like it was time for me to move on [from Arsenal],” says Walcott. “It was sad but it’s exciting at the same time and I want to reignite my career and push Everton to win things as they have done before. The manager is very hungry and it’s just what I need. I’ve had a couple of chats with him and straightaway I felt that hunger and that desire that he wanted from me.”
In a statement, Arsenal said: “We all thank Theo for his contribution to the club and wish him well for the future.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he did not want Walcott to leave. But if you don’t give a player with ambition a starting berth in a team of journeymen, he has to go.
Posted: 17th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, News, Sports | Comment (1)
Arsenal transfers: Daily Mail writer doesn’t read the Daily Mail
Do journalist read their own newspapers? Writing in the Daily Mail about Arsenal transfers, Adam Shergold writes today:
It is a measure of how far Arsenal’s stock has fallen that they are spending the January transfer window trying to hold on to key assets rather than looking to strengthen their squad.
Rally? Because the Mail also reports in the past 24 hours that Arsenal are looking to sell Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott. And the club is looking at new faces:
Story 1:
Borussia Dortmud striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has already got one quality to be an Arsenal legend – he hates Tottenham.
Story 2:
The United boss omitted the Armenian from the squad to face Stoke on Monday night, with a potential swap deal with Arsenal for Alexis Sanchez being touted.
Story 3:
After Wenger’s initial apprehension towards a move, Arsenal are now working to complete the deal for the Gabon striker who would replace Manchester United-bound Alexis Sanchez.
Story 4:
Arsenal are reportedly keen to take Manchester United striker Anthony Martial in part-exchange for Alexis Sanchez. United have moved ahead of Manchester City in the race to sign the Chilean.
Story 5:
Premier League heavyweights Arsenal and Chelsea have identified Watford attacker Richarlison as a potential signing during the summer transfer window.
Story 6:
Alexis Sanchez set to leave Arsenal ‘in the next 48 hours’ with £35million transfer to Manchester United close as Arsene Wenger demands Henrikh Mkhitaryan is involved in any deal
Story 7:
Bordeaux’s Brazil forward Malcolm has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium
Shergold was watching Arsenal play and beat Manchester United in an Under 23 clash last night. His reports tells us:
The other notable moment of the night saw January signing Konstantinos Mavropanos make his first appearance in an Arsenal shirt.
Either Shergold is right or all those stories on the Mail’s website are balls?
Posted: 16th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, manchester united, News, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Transfer news: Sanchez to Manchester United or Chelsea as Manchester City pull out?
Manchester City will not be recruiting Alexis Sanchez this January. The club run on a trillion dollar shoestring budget say the 29-year-old Chilean is too expensive.
Sanchez wants £400,000 a week. And City feel that giving him that gigantic sum would upset the rest of the squad, who are all be on less.
City say the decision to forgo the man who in the summer they were willing to invest £60m in was taken by Pep Guardiola and the club’s owner Khaldoon al Mubarak.
Which surely means that Sanchez is off to Manchester United, where he’ll be paid in excess of £300,000 a week. United are offering Arsenal £30million plus Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the talented Armenian who joined the club for around £30m in the summer of 2016.
But hold on a moment… Sky are reporting that Chelsea are now in for Sanchez, although reports contain no details.
Posted: 15th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Manchester City, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Arsenal waiting on Mkhitaryan, Malcolm and Aubameyang as Sanchez accepts Manchester United’s money
Arsenal’s best signing of the season could be Sven Mislintat, the scout who introduced Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Borussia Dortmund. Arsenal have offered a fee rising to £53.3m for the striker who has scored 141 goals in 212 appearances for the German club. Dortmund want shot of the Gabon star. And Arsenal are in dire need of players with style, spirit and presence. Should Alexis Sanchez move to Manchester United, as is expected – Manchester City have dropped out of the race for his signature – Aubameyang would be a terrific replacement. Mislintat would be a familiar face in new surroundings.
And there’s more hope for Gunners that their team of journeymen is to be upgraded. Disappointing Theo Walcott could be heading to Everton for a fee in excess of £20m. And the exciting 20-year-old Brazilian Malcolm looks set to arrive from Bordeaux for around £40m.
And there’s more. Mislintat could help persuade another Borussia player, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, to join Arsenal. The Armenian international has been left out of Manchester United’s squad for their Premier League match with Stoke City.
When asked about Mkhitaryan’s absence, Mourinho replied: “I would lie if I said it was a pure tactical decision…It was just a choice of the players that we know, in this moment, they have 100 per cent their heads in Manchester United. No doubts about the future. I don’t think it’s easy for a player to play when there are doubts about his future. It’s added pressure that a player doesn’t need, so I think it’s the best for him and for us, while the doubt is in the air, to protect him.”
And to keep him injury free should all parties accept United’s offer of the brilliant Armenian plus £30m for Arsenal’s dynamic Sanchez. The Chilean is being offered in excess of £300,000 a week to kiss the badge at Old Trafford.
This is all exciting for Arsenal fans. The squad is weak. The manager is an immovable object. But at least Arsenal are trying to bolster a team drifting into mid-table torpor. The Gunners surely hope their best player, Mesut Ozil, sees the investment and signs a new contract. The new recruits can’t come soon enough.
Posted: 15th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Daily Express uses fake Sanchez story to seduce Manchester United fans to Bullshit.com
As Alexis Sanchez prepares to sign a new deal with Manchester City or Manchester United – something that looked unlikely before Arsenal made the Barcelona reject look a bargain – the Daily Express gets the scoop, as ever it must. No fewer than two hadlin es scream that Sanchez to United is a done deal.
Alexis Sanchez to Man Utd: Romelu Lukaku confirms transfer on Snapchat
Alexis Sanchez to Man Utd: Fans rage at each other as Lukaku confirms deal
The clue to this being total balls is in thoes inverted commas about ‘confirms”. You might spot them, but the Google bots that serve content to the world do no. In terms of getting traffic, inverted commas are the fake news’ friend.
The story, such as it is, is classic clickbait.
…on Lukaku’s personal Snapchat, the Belgian posted an image with three emojis. The Chile flag had an arrow next to it with a devil emoji in a black background.
The image was swiftly deleted but not before fans spotted Lukaku’s apparent confirmation and fans on social media believe it’s a clear sign that Sanchez has chosen United over Manchester City.
And so after two headlines and eight paragraphs, the fact emerges:
…eagle eyed fans spotted that the image was fake. Lukaku’s Snapchat account is Romelu.Lukaku10 but the image has Lukaku’s username as rLukaku9.
Ha. Yeah. The Express should put Romelu Lukaku’s name in inverted commas, too, because the story has nothing to do with him.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 15th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, manchester united, News, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Transfer balls: Sanchez left out of Arsenal squad at Bournemouth as Manchester United wait
The Daily Sanchez: a look at the future of footballer Alexis Sanchez, currently stinking up the place at Arsenal. Let’s kick off with the Star’s scoop that Liverpool have joined Manchester City and Manchester United in the chase for Sanchez.
“Flirty Sanchez,” declares the Star, the headline a pun on ‘Dirty Sanchez’, which according to the “Top Definition” on Urban Dictionary means: “its when a man and a woman engage in anal sex, then the man takes his penis and rubs it on the girls upper lip leaving a moustache.” Is that the bitter taste Arsenal fans taste in the air when Sanchez plays?
The Mirror has the same story. But given that Sanchez wants around £300,000 a week plus a huge signing on bonus, do Liverpool want to upset other players at the club? The paper tells us:
Armed with the cash from the £142million sale of Philippe Coutinho , Liverpool have no worries about meeting the £35m the Gunners want for Chilean Sanchez.
Good for Arsenal. But those wages?
Coutinho was paid around £200,000 by FSG so stepping up to £300,000 would be a big hike — but Liverpool know that’s the going rate for world-class talents.
They do? Because the Mirror also says Coutinho earns £200,000 a week at Barcelona. Isn’t the £142m players world class?
Over in the Mail comes news that desperate Manchester United are “prepared to sacrifice summer moves for Atletico Madrid’s 26-year-old France striker Antoine Griezmann and Real Madrid and Wales forward Gareth Bale, 28, in order to sign Sanchez on wages of £350,000 a week.” But Griezmann and Bale need not panic. United have given Sanchez an ultimatum, says the Express: sign up Friday or the deal’s off.
But a deal looks very much on. Sanchez has been “dropped” (Mirror) from Arsenal squad for today’s match at Bournemouth. Good. The paper adds: “The 29-year-old is now closing in on a stunning transfer to Manchester United after being dropped from Arsenal’s squad.”
In other news, Goal says Sanchez’s family are in London to help him pack. When you see his agent rubbing his hands together and ordering a spare jet, you’ll know the deal’s done.
Posted: 14th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Liverpool, Manchester City, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Will Sanchez leave Arsenal for Manchester City glory of Manchester United desperation?
Would Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez thrive at Manchester United? Jose Mourinho calls Sanchez “phenomenal” as he attempts to woo the player with honey and tons of cash. But Sanchez wants to join Manchester City.
It’s easy to see why. Under Pep Guardiola, with whom he worked at Barcelona, Sanchez would play for a fluid team going places. Under United, he’d be part of a big club’s desperate attempt to catch City.
Phil Neville, says United signing Sanchez would be a coup every bit as big as when Alex Ferguson recruited Eric Cantona from Leeds United. Cantona was the catalyst for United’s resurgence. Would 29-year-old Sanchez have the same effect on Mourinho’s dreary side?
As ever the reporting is based on guesswork.
The Sun (prop. R. Murdoch) says: “Sky Sport Italia [prop. R Murdoch] are now reporting that the Red Devils have agreed a financial package with Sanchez.” On January 9, the same Sun reported: “Arsenal news: Alexis Sanchez ‘agrees deal to join Manchester City’… it’s now just a matter of when.” And over on Fox Sports (Prop. R Murdoch) we are told: “Sanchez to Manchester United.” Beyond the Murdoch bubble, the Indy adds: “Alexis Sanchez: Manchester City ready to walk away from deal even if it means United sign him instead.”
The one thing we can all agree on: Arsenal can’t hang on to their best players and always tease their fans with the hope of a better tomorrow. Here’s Arsene Wenger: “It looks like Sanchez will not extend his contract, but we want to keep Jack and if we have an opportunity maybe to keep Ozil, the rebuild will be less deep than if all three left.”
Yeah, maybe. Or maybe not.
Posted: 13th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Manchester City, manchester united, News, Sports | Comments (2)
Transfer balls: Manchester City won’t pay Arsenal star’s wages up front
It’s not just the Mirror online that seduces online readers with news that exists in headline form only. Today’s back page lead is that Manchester City are going to hijack Manchester City’s bid to recruit Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez. And the fee? Well, it’s an eye-popping £124m!
And after the headline the facts: Arsenal want £35m for their player. But before you can work it out how £35m becomes £124m, the Bleacher Report has echoed the Mirror’s “exclusive”. “Manchester United ‘Close to Agreeing’ Alexis Sanchez Deal Worth £124m,” yells the website.
How close? The BR doesn’t know. It’s story is based on the Mirror’s story. And over there we read:
Blues are baulking at paying £124million this month for striker who is set to be a summer free agent — and Jose Mourinho is lining up a stunning player-plus-cash deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan
On what planet are Arsenal getting £124m for Sanchez? They’re not. The Mirror has added up the “striker’s demand for a three-and-a-half-year contract worth £400,000-a-week” and his “£15million signing-on fee”.
Do all clubs pay the entire wage packet up front?
The other part of the news is that Manchester City “believed a £20m fee and contract worth £300,000-a-week would be enough to land Pep Guardiola’s No 1 target”.
Well, £20m is tad low. And just three days ago the Sun told us: “Arsenal news: Alexis Sanchez ‘agrees deal to join Manchester City’… it’s now just a matter of when.”
And a bit of if. Arsenal have said they will only sell Sanchez if they have a replacement lined up, which is why they didn’t flog him to Man City in the summer.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 12th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Manchester City, manchester united, News, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Arsenal fans rejoice: Walcott might be off to Everton
There are signs of progress at Arsenal. Theo Walcott is in negotiations with Everton. Everton manager Sam Allardyce says Walcott would be a “fantastic addition”, who would offer “goalscoring threat”. Yeah, good luck with that, Sam. This is good news for only one team: Arsenal. Having jettisoned Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool for the inflated sum of £40m, the Gunners are getting shot of that other nice middle-class boy with all the durability of a wet paper bag.
Walcott has featured 395 times for Arsenal. And you’d be hard press to recall many occasions when he shone. Two moment from his career at the club: signalling Arsenal were 2-0 up to Spurs fans as he was stretchered off; and in the Champions’ League quarter-final at Anfield in 2008, going on a delicious run and setting up Emmanuel Adebayor for a tap in.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he wants Walcott to stay at the club, and has told him as much. “We still have a good relationship and I don’t want him to be frustrated or lose any opportunity to play in the World Cup, because Theo went to the World Cup in Germany in 2006 and we are now in 2018 and he’s not been since for different reasons,” says Wenger. “That of course is a sensitive subject.”
Walcott joined Arsenal for £5m from Southampton in 2006. Back then he had promise. Time for Arsenal to get an upgrade.
Posted: 12th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, News, Sports | Comment
Wenger watch: Arsenal manger swore at Chelsea player and never flinched
How did Arsene Wenger find life sat in the Chelsea press box for Arsenal’s League Cup match semi-final tie? Well, last time we discovered that he has a huge garden:
A year ago, when he was also serving a touchline ban, Wenger crept to his seat beside the corporate area in the East Stand at Stamford Bridge and was welcomed with a handshake by an Arsenal supporter.
“I said, ‘Good afternoon’ and he replied, ‘I’m your gardener at your house’,” Wenger said. “I didn’t even know him. I do have a big garden.”
And this time, what did we learn?
Here’s Jeremy Wilson in the Daily Telegraph:
Spending 90 minutes literally just a few feet from Wenger ensured a fascinating insight. Not for anything he said, but simply the magnified perspective provided by his body language. We hear so often of how football managers live every moment of a match that we become almost immune to the draining reality of that statement. Yet to see Wenger fidgeting with each pass, almost straining to make every tackle and, even surrounded by media, still letting out the occasional shout of encouragement or kick of frustration was to feel just how much it all means.
Phil McNulty was there for the BBC:
Wenger remained relatively calm, even when Lacazette wasted a presentable first-half chance, only rising from his seat once during the game when Welbeck was penalised for a foul on Moses, but it was also easy to detect the strains and stresses.
He banged the table in front of him when Granit Xhaka committed a foul against Eden Hazard, shifted constantly in his seat, throwing back his head in frustration when opportunities came and went, such as Lacazette getting carelessly caught offside and when a promising free-kick position was wasted.
The Islington Gazette:
“I was two rows down so I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but colleagues reported him kicking the backs of their chairs and using the odd swear word, especially when possession was lost or the ball hoofed into the air.
“Whatever you think of him you simply can’t deny his passion.”
Jack Polden in the Mirror:
Commenting on referee Martin Atkinson blowing up for a foul on the Spaniard, Wenger shouted: “Every time Alvaro Morata goes down it’s a f****** free-kick.”
Gary Jacobs dedicates an entire column to Wenger Watch. Highlights include:
Wenger gently leans back in his seat, as Arsenal look more comfortable…
Wenger’s presence is noticed by Chelsea fans to his left. They stand, thrust their arms towards him and chant, “We want you to stay.” There is no response…
Jack Wilshere is injured — again. Wenger never flinches…
Such are the facts.
Posted: 11th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Broadsheets, Chelsea, News, Sports, Tabloids | Comments (2)
Clickbait balls: Arsenal and Man City fans tricked by Daily Express Sanchez fakery
The Daily Express online is clickbait mire. Arsenal and Manchester City fans checking up on news of Alexis Sanchez’s move from London to the champions elect are seduced by the headline: “Transfer news LIVE updates: Sanchez deal agreed; Man Utd, Liverpool, Barcelona, Chelsea.”
The Express appears to have a scoop when you search for Sanchez news on Google News. No other news source has the story that a Sanchez deal has been “agreed”. Indeed, Sky Sports says City haven’t even bid for the Chilean.
Here’s the that Express headline again on the paper’s website:
Stuart Ballard has the scoop! But to save you clicking, we’ll not pick out the words relevant to Sanchez’s transfer to City.
Here’s the first mention of Sanchez is Ballard’s story:
Sanchez ‘no bids’
10.00: Arsene Wenger has claimed Arsenal have received no offers for Alexis Sanchez and he fully expects him to stay until the end of the season .When asked if the Gunners had received any offers, he replied: “No and I expect nothing.
“I am focused on tomorrow’s game. When solicitations happen you respond to it. At the moment it’s very quiet. I have nothing to add.”
Come on, Wenger, keep up with things. Read the Express. The deal has been “agreed”. But what’s this? Reading on we find no word on the agreed deal.
We
05:30: Manchester City could complete a deal to sign Alexis Sanchez this week after opening talks over a £30million deal.
Could? What happened to “agreed”?
Express Sport understands the Chile international has been told City will be making a bid for him in the coming days.
What about what readers understand by the phrase “Transfer News: Sanchez Dal Agreed”?
But Ballard has nm’t finished. Let’s not be hasty. What else?
05:00: Arsene Wenger has reignited Arsenal’s interest in Thomas Lemar in the fear they could miss out on him with Alexis Sanchez seemingly on his way out of the club, according to reports…
And with Sanchez constantly linked with a move to Manchester City, Arsenal are prepared to enter the race once again to sign Lemar.
Total balls, then. It might even be fake news.
Posted: 9th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Manchester City, News, Sports, Tabloids | Comments (3)
If Harry Kane is worth 194.7m why is he playing for Spurs?
The facts are in and it’s clear: Spurs striker Harry Kane,24, is the third most valuable player in the world. Well, he is according to CIES’ Football Observatory, which calculates that Kane is worth 194.7m euros. Ahead of him are Paris St-Germain’s forward Neymar, 25, and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, 30.
In euros, this is the Top Ten:
1. Neymar (PSG) – 213m
2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
3. Harry Kane (Tottenham)
4. Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
5. Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
6. Dele Alli (Tottenham) – 171.3m
7. Kevin de Bruyne (Man City) – 167.8m
8. Romelu Lukaku (Man Utd) – 164.8m
9. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) – 150.2m
10. Paul Pogba (Man Utd) – 147.5m
The most valuable Arsenal player is Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal) – 97.6m. Which pretty much sums it up. As Arsenal tie themselves in knots over Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, the clear message is that both wantaway players should have been sold the start of the season. The Gunners rejected Manchester City’s £60m in the summer. Since then Sanchez has been average and Arsenal are now trying to offload him for £40m, which in the inflated world of football transfers equates to one uninspiring Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain . Ozil has said to be winding down his contract and thinking of joining Manchester United.
But as Arsenal’s palsied board, absentee owner and spent manager make a mess of things, Spurs fans should contain their delight. Harry Kane knows his value. His wages of £100,000-a-week are roughly a third what he over-hyped Paul Pogba gets at Manchester United. And Spurs win nothing. As Kane says, “I’ve always said, just keep progressing, keep getting better. We want to start winning trophies so that’s the aim. As long as the club keeps doing that then I’m happy here.”
But other clubs are winning trophies. And each week Kane and his agent know how much money he’s forgoing to remain at Spurs. “If a player wants to go then why would you stop him?” Kane adds. “He’s not going to be at the club, he’s not going to want to play every game, he’s not going to put his heart on the line.” See Ozil and Sanchez. And if he has a decent World Cup. next year it’ll be Kane…
Posted: 9th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Money, Sports, Spurs | Comments (4)
Arsenal balls: Arteta invests in a watch to replace Wenger
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he always sees out his contracts. But the BBC says the Frenchman “could cut short his latest contract and move into the boardroom in the summer”. The source for this speculation is the Mirror, which tells readers:
Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger could quit as manager THIS summer — and is eyeing Mikel Arteta as hand-picked successor
Well, he could. But surely the Mirror’s job is to tell us if he will? Right now there is nothing to say that Wenger will leave Arsenal this summer. And it’s not as if the Mirror has a faultless track record is saying what Wenger’s planning:
As for Arteta taking the role, a man who played for the Gunners but has never managed a club:
One of the names in the frame is former Gunner Mikel Arteta, who is impressing as a coach alongside Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Arteta certainly left a lasting impression with Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, using some of the money raised in club fines to buy the American a prestigious watch.
Eh?
As official collector of the money from players’ misdemeanours, the ‘present’ came as a surprise to some of Arteta’s team-mates.
But Arteta’s organisational skills on and off the training ground have impressed Wenger as he contemplates his future.
Forget Fergie time, this is Arteta time. The Mirror’s seems to be to show that Arteta is good with money. And because this is the modern media in which no scoop, however shallow, can pass unrepeated by rivals, the Sun reads the Mirror’s non-story and thunders:
QUICK TURNAROUND – Arsene Wenger ready to quit Arsenal and leave Manchester City coach Mikel Arteta in charge at the Emirates
Form something that “could” happen to Wenger being “ready ” to leave all in a morning. The paper looks at Arteta’s watch:
And the retired playmaker apparently impressed Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis by buying him a posh watch during his time as Gunners bursar.
Arteta was in charge of collecting fines at Arsenal and he put the money toward a watch for Gazidis – to the surprise of his team-mates.
Anyone know any facts about this watch, which is quickly passing into folklore?
Posted: 7th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Broadsheets, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Eden Hazard ‘fell’ in the box as Chelsea come back to draw at Arsenal
Wishful thinking on the Arsenal website, whereon readers are invited to “Watch Bellerin’s Winner” against Chelsea. It was nothing of the sort. Hector Bellerin’s late goal tied the scores at 2-2.
Of more interest is that first Chelsea goal, scored from the penalty spot when Bellerin was adjudged to have fouled Eden Hazard. The Arsenal website reports the incident thus:
…the visitors were awarded a controversial penalty after Hazard fell in the box. Coming so soon after that late spot kick at West Brom, it was tough to take – even more so when Hazard slotted it home himself.
Hazard was not fouled. Hazard “fell”.
And on the Chelsea website? The penalty looks like this:
The penalty was awarded for a foul by Hector Bellerin on the twisting and turning Hazard, who converted conventionally with a firm shot past Cech.
“Eden Hazard: Did Chelsea star dive to win penalty against Arsenal?” asks the Express. Yes. And no. He was touched lightly on the foot. And he did fall, face contorted in agony as his hands searched for signs of missing limbs. The brave soldier dragged himself to his ruined feet to score.
The Times sums up well:
Taylor got this call right. Bellerín kicked the base of Hazard’s foot. That the Chelsea No 10 then fell theatrically, clutching a different part of his anatomy, does not diminish Bellerín’s offence.
Posted: 4th, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Media bias: Arsenal are robbed by West Bromwich Albion’s deserved penalty
Biased footballer reporting is very much in evidence in match reports on West Bromwich Albion’s 1–1 draw with Arsenal. Having taken the lad with an 83rd minute own goal, the Gunners were denied a win when Albion scored an 89th minute penalty. Referee Mike Dean decided that it was hand ball when, as the Arsenal website puts it “former Gunner Kieran Gibbs flicked the ball into Calum Chambers’ hand in the area”. The reporting is clear: any handball was not intentional.
Former referee Graham Poll uses his Daily Mail column to state: “It wasn’t a penalty. It should never have been a penalty.”
The Times says “Calum Chambers was penalised for handball when the ball was kicked at him from a yard away”.
But in the Express and Star, the local West Bromwich Albion newspaper, the report looks like this:
Having been the better team for large parts of the game, Alan Pardew’s team found themselves staring defeat in the face after Alexis Sanchez squeezed a free-kick through a brittle Baggies wall seven minutes from time.
There will be an inquest into that goal, which has officially gone down as a James McClean own goal, but in the 89th minute, referee Mike Dean pointed at the spot after Callum Chambers handled in the box.
No inquest about that.
And: “Albion hadn’t been awarded a spot-kick for more than 50 games, so they were certainly due one.”
So that’s alright, then.
Posted: 1st, January 2018 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, News, Sports | Comments (2)
Arsenal balls: the Sun spins Wenger’s words to annoy Liverpool fans
Forget circumspection. When opining about Alex Oxlade-Champberlain, the player Arsenal sold to Liverpool for the best part of £40m, Arsene Wenger was scathing. The Sun and Mirror heard Wenger accuse the former Arsenal player of laziness and made it their lead sport story.
The Sun thunders: “OX LAZE – Arsene Wenger accuses Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of sitting in a rocking chair and refusing to fight for Arsenal spot.” Wenger gave Oxlade-Chamberlaie a “verbal battering”.
The Mirror says Wenger aimed a “dig” at Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The Sun quotes Wenger. It’s much the same in the Mirror:
“What do you want to be, a big player and not have to fight? You can’t be a big player, sit in your rocking chair and say I do not want to fight. It doesn’t work like that. Every player has to fight. In a big club you have big competition with some good players. That is absolutely normal…
“I offered him a contract to stay but in the end he decided to go and we just had to try and get the best possible price.Sometimes it happens when one player who we don’t want to go, goes.
“We respect his decision and I have no problem with that. What’s important is that the players make a good career, preferably in your club. If it doesn’t happen, you still want them to have a good career. I personally think he will be an important player for England and will continue to develop.”
What neither paper finds room to note is what Wenger also said. This in the Guardian:
“What do you want? To be a big player and not have to fight? What do you want on top of that – sitting in your rocking chair and saying: ‘I’m a big player? I don’t need to fight?’ No. It doesn’t work like that. Every player can do that and Chamberlain does it. I am convinced it’s part of being a top player.”
If that’s a verbal battering, the mind boggles as to what praise looks like?
Posted: 30th, December 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Liverpool, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Arsenal balls: Sanchez agreed a new contract last December
Time for Arsenal to burn their bridges with Alexis Sanchez and kick out the sulky forward.
News is that the Chile international wanted to stay at Arsenal, allegedly shaking hands on a new deal last December.
Everything was agreed. But before Arsenal’s dithering board got any contract signed, the club were demolished 10-2 over two Champions’ League matches by a no-more-than-decent Bayern Munich side in March. Sanchez realised Arsenal were rubbish.
His future lay at Manchester City. They bid £60m, which Arsenal, in thrall to a palsied management structure of limited ambitions for anything other than routine dividends, rejected. Now they’ve got a misfiring player on huge wages. The only way to get something out of the situation is to push Sanchez out this January before he can leave for free at the season’s end.
Cue, then, the paper talk that he reneged on an agreement to remain at the club. Boo! Get him out!
Posted: 23rd, December 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Broadsheets, Sports | Comment
Arsenal transfer balls: Sanchez to PSG for £25m and Manchester City for free
Transfer Balls: a look at poor football reporting. Today the papers are looking once more at Alexis Sanchez, the Arsenal player yet to rediscover the form that made him such a force.
News is that Sanchez is to join PSG. He’s closing in on a move to Paris St-Germain after his agent flew to the French capital for talks, says The Metro. He was there in August, of course. The Metro told us Sanchez was in Paris to finalise the deal he’d agreed in July. But it turned out to be total balls. Sanchez had been in the city to renew his work permit.
The Express says PSG will offer Arsenal £25m. That’s not too shabby for the 29-year-old player. But the Daily Mirror says Sanchez will hang on and join Manchester City for free at the end of the season, when his contract expires. City will pay him £400,000 a week. The Mail says Manchester City are “almost certain to sign Arsenal striker Alexis Sanchez in the summer”. The Guardian says it’s “likely” Sanchez will join City in January.
Right now it looks as though Arsenal stuffed up in rejecting City’s £60m for Sanchez last summer. The player’s been disappointing for the Gunners. Although he never did go on strike, as the Express said he would.
Sanchez is an Arsenal player. And in late November, Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, was adamant, telling a press conference: “In my head, they stay until the end of the season. Unless something unbelievable happens I don’t see that changing.”
Not that anything is all that believable when it comes to reporting on Sanchez.
Posted: 22nd, December 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls in the Sun: Ozil talks to Arsenal and agrees to join Manchester United and Barcelona
Transfer balls: the Sun says Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil could sign a deal to stay at the club. Today’s paper reports:
The German midfielder’s representative have been in talks with the Gunners for more than a year over fresh terms.
Er… Can this be the same paper that told readers on September 13th 2017:
The 28-year-old has not spoken to club officials about a new deal since negotiations broke down in February.
And in July, the Sun told us:
‘MY PREFERENCE IS TO STAY’ – Mesut Ozil to hold contract extension talks with Arsenal in next fortnight
And on October 21 added:
Ozil, 29, has NOT had talks about a new contract with Arsenal since March
So much for the talks. What but the done deals?
October 20th readers were told:
OZMOSIS Arsenal – ace Mesut Ozil reckons Manchester United move is a done deal
November 8th:
OZIL wants Jack Wilshere’s No 10 shirt as part of his terms to stay at Arsenal.
And on November 22:
BARCELONA have agreed a deal to sign Mesut Ozil
And on November 30th:
ADIOZ – Mesut Ozil set to open talks on move to Barcelona with his Arsenal deal set to expire
December 6:
Emirates insiders have suggested a stunning breakthrough in negotiations is “very, very close.”
Such are the facts…
Posted: 9th, December 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Arsenal v Manchester United balls: Alexandre Lacazette’s miraculous recovery
The news was unequivocal: Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette is out with a groin injury.” He will not play against Manchester United. The BBC publishes that news below the teams for Arsenal v United. Lacazette is at number 9.
It was Arsene Wenger who said Lacazete will not play – that he’d be “out for a while”.
“He’s definitely out for [Manchester United] this weekend,” said Wenger on Novermber 29. “It looked like a groin injury. He could be out for a while.”
Well, look again.
The news of Lacazette’s injury pleased United.
“Alex has been great and at this moment and he is scoring goals and playing well for the team,” United’s Paul Pogba told MUTV. “He is a big player for them and if he is not there I would say it is good for us. I hope for us that he doesn’t play because that will help us. But I also hope he doesn’t have a bad injury.”
Such are the facts…
Posted: 2nd, December 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Ozil stays at Arsenal unless Manchester United make ‘unbelievable’ offer
At the Arsenal press conference, Arsene Wenger was asked about Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil leaving the club in the January transfer window – both players are in the last year of their current contracts. On the official Arsenal website, his words are distilled into the headline: “Wenger – Ozil and Alexis will stay in January.”
Will Alexis and Mesut Ozil will be here on February 1?
AW: Yes, of course.
Will they be at the club next season?
AW: I am not the only one who can decide that. They have a part to play in that as well. If it’s my decision, yes.
Could he possible envisage them leaving in January?
AW: Unless something unbelievable happens, I can’t see why that would change.
Put that through the clickbait machine and you get:
The Metro: “Chelsea enter race to sign Mesut Ozil from Arsenal.” Not much of a race, considering he’s staying at least until the season’s end. And then this:
Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, sparked confusion over Ozil’s future this week by claiming that the midfielder will not be sold in January.
How did that trigger confusion? It was a clear statement. The utter tosh is amplified in the Manchester Evening News, which having tricked readers with a conniving Ozil to Manchester United story, now trills: “Manchester United told what it will take to sign Arsenal star Mesut Ozil.”
Did Wenger name a price? No. When pressed he said it would take something “unbelievable” for Ozil to be sold.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 29th, November 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Chelsea, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Trust Project balls: Arsenal and Manchester United fans tricked by MEN Ozil news
In the twilight zone between fact and fiction, sits football reporting. Today’s Manchester Evening News turns a simple story on Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil’s bout of the sniffles into “positive news” for Manchester United fans. Before we get to Samuel Luckhurst’s story, the headline:
Manchester United get Mesut Ozil boost from Arsenal
Rumours abound that Manchester United will move for the Arsenal star whose contract expires at the season’s end. Notions of pending transfer business is the meat to the story. That’s only reinforced by the teaser:
Mesut Ozil is interested in moving to Man Utd next year and Jose Mourinho has received some positive news from Arsenal.
Can it be that Ozil is on his way to Old Trafford? Are Arsenal and United arranging things? Before reaching the story, we’re told that the MEN is part of the ‘Trust Project’. What’s that?
The Trust Project is an international consortium of news organizations collaborating to use transparency to build a more trustworthy and trusted press.
It’s clear, then. Ozil to Manchester United is on.
The story begins:
Mesut Ozil could be a doubt for Arsenal’s weekend Premier League fixture with Manchester United due to illness.
And… And nothing. The entire story is that Ozil was ill and couldn’t play for the Gunners at Burnley. He might be ill for when Arsenal play United next weekend. Arsenal have offered no boost for any transfer. The ‘good news’ is that Ozil is ill.
So much for trust, eh.
Posted: 27th, November 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, manchester united, News, Sports | Comment
Biased Balls: Burnley robbed by an easy Arsenal penalty
Biased Balls: a look at bias in football reporting. Today we look at Burnley’s 0-1 defeat at home to Arsenal in the Premier League. Burnley lost to Arsenal in injury-time for the third game in a row. This time it was penalty converted in the 93rd minute.
Was it a foul?
YES!
The Sun: “For the third successive Premier League game, Arsenal have beaten Burnley thanks to a last minute goal. This time it was Sanchez with the winning goal from the penalty spot after Tarkowski had pushed Ramsey to the floor.”
BBC: “The spot-kick was awarded by referee Lee Mason after defender James Tarkowski pushed Aaron Ramsey.”
Arsenal FC: “The spot-kick was an easy one to give after James Tarkowski shoved Aaron Ramsey as Sead Kolasinac headed across goal. And Alexis was coolness personified with a low finish past goalkeeper Nick Pope.”
London Evening Standard: “A game with a history of late goals brought drama yet again as Tarkowski shoved Ramsey.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: “From outside it [the penalty] looked 100%. I don’t know why he pushed him in the back. I would like to see it again.”
MAYBE…
Burnley Express: “Arsenal penalty after Tarkowski is adjuded [sic] to have pushed Sanchez.”
The Guardian (from their ‘Manchester-based correspondent): “Burnley suffered heartbreak right at the end when James Tarkowski came together with Aaron Ramsey in the area and Lee Mason, the referee, gave a penalty.”
Burnley FC: “This was another tough call with the decision not looking black-and-white as Tarkowski was harshly punished.. Kolasinac’s headed ball into the penalty area was aimed for Ramsey and when he went down under pressure from Tarkowski, Mason pointed to the spot.”
Burnley manager Sean Dyche: “It was highly unlikely it [the penalty] wasn’t going to get given on a day like today, that’s all I’ll say.”
Such are the facts.
Such are the facts…
Posted: 26th, November 2017 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Come On Effzeh! The Daily Mirror trolls Arsenal and Spurs fans by misreporting FC Cologne song
At last night Europa League match between Cologne and Arsenal (-0 to the Germans), the Daily Mirror heard fans offering some tag-team anti-Spurs abuse. The headline is unequivocal: ‘”Tottenham are s***!” Arsenal and Cologne fans “join forces to troll Spurs” during Europa League tie”.
They did? No, of course they didn’t. The Mirror is trolling Arsenal and Spurs fans. But Mark Jones is hearing what he wants to, telling Mirror readers:
Arsenal fans seemingly joined forces with their counterparts from Cologne to troll Tottenham Hotspur during their Europa League tie in Germany on Thursday night… the two sets of fans linked up in perfect harmony at the RheinEnergieStadion, although Spurs fans won’t want to hear it.
Wrong. The Cologne fans chant “Come on FC!” or “Come on Effzeh!” over and over and over at every match. Cologne fans are not trolling Spurs fans. They don’t give a s*** about Spurs fans. But the Mirror’s advertising clicks do.
Spotter: 365
Posted: 24th, November 2017 | In: Arsenal, News, Sports, Spurs, Tabloids | Comment
