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Arsenal: Brendan Rodgers checks his DNA
No chance, then, that Brendan Rodgers will leave Leicester City, a team vying for the title and a Champions League place mid-stream. “I’ll give my life to make the supporters proud of their club,” Rodgers said when he joined Leicester having left Celtic half-way through a season with another domestic trouble on the cards.
The trick for Rodgers, for whom Arsenal is cooed as his “dream club”, is to make Leicester believe his departure is inevitable, the dancing of a talented and ambitious man. The Leicester owners are unsentimental, as the dismissal of title winner Claudio Ranieri proves. They might respect a man who wants to go on to bigger things, having served his time at Watford, Reading and Swansea City before be came within a Steven Gerrard slip of winning the title with Liverpool.
For now, of course, Arsenal are being coached by Freddie Ljungberg, who says he’ll accept Arsene Wenger’s offer of a chat before the Gunners play Brighton. They might discuss Josh Kroenke, the owner’s son sent to Big Co’s provincial London outposts to protect the brand. Kroenke pressed flesh at the club’s training ground last week, barfing out Ljungberg having “Arsenal DNA”. If having Arsenal hard-wired into your genetic code is the recipe for an Arsenal boss, then Kroenke fails his own test. A peek into any Kroenke blood sample would most likely the codes for bank accounts.
Does Rodgers have Arsenal DNA? Did Unai Emery? Maybe examining their stools can tell Josh more about what the future holds for his project. Because right now, he look clueless.
Posted: 4th, December 2019 | In: Arsenal, News, Sports | Comment
Arsenal to sack Emery, hire Brendan Rodgers, consult Mourinho and have bottled water with Allegri
That Unai Emery is floundering at Arsenal is clear. the club is full of good players and there is genuine competition for places. Edu’s return to the club as technical director bodes well. Freddie Ljungberg’s promotion to the head coach’s number 2 can only help the exciting young players he coached so well at junior levels adapt and thrive in the first team squad. But Emery is clueless. He has to go.
The Sun says Brendan Rodgers is the man to replace the hapless Spaniard. Why a man the Gunners could have hired from Celtic before Leicester City did is right for them now and not then is apparently because a dozen games into the Premier League season, Rodgers has become “one of the world’s most in-demand managers”. Can the Sun really see Rodgers managing Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Juventus?
More tosh about who will replace Emery in the Mirror, which spots his scheduled trip to the UEFA Elite Club Coaches Forum and seduces readers with a story about Emery and Mourinho “meeting”. They’re not. But they might be in the same room. Others in the same room include:
Jürgen Klopp (Liverpool FC), Maurizio Sarri (Juventus Football Club), Zinédine Zidane (Real Madrid CF), Pep Guardiola (Manchester City FC), Carlo Ancelotti (SSC Napoli), Thomas Tuchel (Paris Saint Germain), Erik ten Hag (AFC Ajax), Unai Emery (Arsenal FC), Sérgio Conceição (FC Porto), Ole Gunnar Solskjær (Manchester United FC), Paulo Fonseca (AS Roma), Rudi Garcia (Olympique Lyonnais), José Mourinho, Massimiliano Allegri and Mircea Lucescu.
Look out for Arsenal meet with Massimiliano Allegri headlines soon. Well, had be better than Emery, wouldn’t he…
Arsenal balls: Granit Xhaka puts himself up for sale
Granit Xhaka, the Arsenal captain who swore at the club’s fans as he walked off the field last weekend, has issued an explainer via social media. It might be an apology. But there’s a lot of sympathetic backstory building in Xhaka’s open letter and not a lot of mention of his manager Unai Emery and the fans’ right to voice their disapproval. He says that telling fans to “F*** off” might be misinterpreted. He’s sorry if you “thought” the captain’s swearing to Arsenal fans was in any way disrespectful or wrong. That was not his “intention”.
He’s only human. Nasty words can get to you. But Xhaka is the Arsenal captain. A simple “sorry” would have been better. In dividing supporters between good fans and bad fans, Xhaka’s not making any friends. It looks a lot like Xhaka will be leaving the club very soon:
No player should leave a club under a cloud. Xhaka tries his best. But he’s not in the squad for Arsenal’s next match. “Xhaka’s issues last week is one issue that needs time to recover the normality with him and with us,” says Emery. But surely the player’s days at the club are drawing to a close…
Who is the Arsenal fan at the Emirates in the dressing gown?
As Arsenal captain Granit Xhaka told the club’s fans to “f*** off” and Unai Emery flailed and faffed to no visible effect in the team’s 2-2 draw with an enthusiastic but limited and lucky Crystal Palace, a Gooner in the stands stood up. And, boy, what a site to behold he was.
Spotter: @AndyHa
Posted: 30th, October 2019 | In: Arsenal, News, Sports | Comment
Arsenal: Emery loses the fans and the dressing room
Never the most monocular fans, nonetheless many Arsenal supporters have seen enough of Unai Emery to reach the conclusion that he’s clueless. Yesterday’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, in which the Gunners surrendered a two goal lead, was further evidence that under Emery’s coaching Arsenal have regressed. The chaotic defending. The inability to retain the ball. Again again a highly talented group of Arsenal players gave it away. It’s like Arsene Wenger’s revolution never happened.
And now there are signs Emery is losing the dressing room. His decision to substitute the plodding Granit Xhaka soon after Palace had equalised left his captain exposed. Not only did Emery duck the matter of actually picking a captain, leaving it to the players to select the Swiss midfielder by ballot, but his move to bring him off looked like finger pointing.
Xhaka’s reaction was lamentable. He didn’t race off the pitch, keen for his side to crack on and try to win the game. No urgency. He just strolled. For a player not highly rated by the fans, this was belligerent, irritating, disrespectful and foolish.
As the fans cheered Xhaka’s removal from the match and encouraged his replacement, the spry Bukayo Saka, the captain took off his shirt, sarcastically cupped his ear and told the people who pay good money to watch him captain their team “fuck off”. Emery said “he was wrong”. In being so exposed, Xhaka may have a few choice words for his hapless manager.
Arsenal balls: captain Xhaka talks “bullshit”
Granit Xhaka says it’s all “bullshit”. Not his inability to go 90 minutes without bing yellow carded or that story about him losing the house keys. What the Arsenal captain calls “bullshit” is the opinion that the Gunners are pampered, soft and wetter than Robbie Fowler’s hair gel. Unai Emery’s lacklustre side lost 1-0 to Sheffield United last night. And they were poor.
Arsenal might have been awarded two penalties – one for a clear tug on Sokratis’ top; another for a blatant push of Saka which resulted in the Arsenal winger being booked for diving. Oh, for VAR:
But penalties are not glorious goals from open play. The Gunners barely had a shot on target. Sheffield scored a goal from a corner. And so the visitors lost lost their fifth match in the last 10 Premier League away games. Sat in the soft seats by an illuminated coffee table, former Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra told Sky Sports that the Arsenal side were “babies”.
Xhaka showed some rare vigour and speed of movement, seizing on the to-deadline comment: “We have to stop about mental bullshit like this… A lot of people they speak too much. It is not the first time he has spoken something about us. I have a lot of respect for him as he was a great player but you have to be careful what you say. But it is not only him – a lot of people speak a lot of bullshit about us. It’s always the same… every week they speak bullshit like this every week.”
And having harped on about a crass comment from an ex-pro who never did much like Arsenal, Xhaka opined: “I tell you the honest truth, I’m not interested in what people say and speak.” No comment is still a comment, mate.
Media balls: Arsenal ‘controversy’ upsets Aston Villa
It was pulsating stuff at the Emirates when Arsenal met a lively Aston Villa in the Premier League. The Gunners, who fluctuated between catatonic, dire, chaotic and scintillating, saw a man sent off and fought back from 2-1 down to win 3-2. Arsenal’s first goal came from the penalty spot. Björn Engels took Matteo Guendouzi out as the Frenchman dribble into the Villa box. It was , says the BBC, a “sloppy tackle”. The Indy and Times say Guendouzi was “tripped”. It was a blatant foul.
Or as the Birmingham Mail puts it:
Arsenal, though, battled back, winning somewhat of a controversial penalty as Jon Moss adjudged Engels to have brought down Matteo Guendouzi, the Frenchman going down so softly before £72million winger Pepe dusted himself down to fire the spot-kick straight down the middle.
Controversial? Only if you’re monocular Villa fan looking for solace in a biased read.
Posted: 22nd, September 2019 | In: Arsenal, Sports | Comment
Alexis Sanchez has ‘no regrets’ at leaving Arsenal for £500,000-a-week at Manchester United
Funnily enough, Alexis Sanchez has not regrets about leaving Arsenal – wages: £100,000-a-week – for Manchester United – wages: £500,000-a-week.
“I’m very happy I went to Manchester United,” Sanchez tells the BBC as he moved to Inter Milan on loan. “I’ve always said that. It’s the club that’s won the most in England. When I went to Arsenal it was fantastic – I was happy there – but United were growing at the time, they were buying players to win something. I wanted to join them and win everything. I don’t regret going there.”
Sanchez went for the money. And who can blame him for that? The wage is gargantuan. Sanchez scored 80 goals in 166 matches for Arsenal; he scored 5 in 45 for United – 2 goals in 27 matches last season. Never let them tell you that money doesn’t change people. In 2017, Sanchez was a nominee for the Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Players of the Year award. In 2018, he was spending time with his private jet. And that piano:
It’s easy to label Sanchez a flop. He wasn’t. He won big. The failure lies with the decision makers who thought him worth the money.
Posted: 3rd, September 2019 | In: Arsenal, manchester united, Sports | Comment
Arsenal boast youngest top-6 squad as Mkhitaryan leaves for Roma
More good news for Arsenal fans. Roma have signed the painfully ineffectual Henrikh Mkhitaryan on a season-long loan deal. The Italian club will pay all of the 30-year-old’s £200,00-a-week wages plus a loan fee, thought to be £5m.
Mkhitaryan promised much when he joined Arsenal from Manchester United in January 2018 in an odd transfer that involved Alexis Sanchez moving the other way.
His leaving give Arsenal the chance to stick with their plan to give more minutes to young players.
Arsenal are building a team. With Mkhitaryan at the Gunners, the average age of the first-team squad in 25.4 – the youngest among the so-called Top 6 clubs. This focus on youth is a deliberate policy. As Jonathan Northcroft writes: “The idea is that Arsenal will have two elite players contending for every position with a third — an emerging youngster — pushing hard behind them. No youth blueprint works if pathways are not properly designed.” In recent days, Monreal, Elneny and now Mkhitaryan have left the club.
Arsenal sell Monreal to Real Sociedad
Arsenal have sold defender Nacho Monreal to Real Sociedad on a two-year deal. The Spaniard was in the final year of his Arsenal contract. The 33-year-old made 250 appearances for Arsenal.
Arsenal : Shkodran Mustafi is too good to fail
As Mohamed Elneny joins Besiktas on a year-long loan, Arsenal fans wonder which club will save them from another season of Shkodran Mustafi? Roma looked a possibility but they’ve signed Chris Smalling on loan. Someone must fancy Mustafi, a player who Gary Neville said had “an incredible amount of natural ability and talent”.
He must have some. You don’t get to play fo the mighty Arsenal without a large degree of self-belief, commitment, confidence and talent. He played for Germany at the 2014 World Cup – which they won – making him one of the best. Arsene Wenger, one of the world’s most respected coaches, liked him a lot. It’s mad to think everyone was wrong about Mustafi. Even Joan Collins can’t fake it for that long. Most Arsenal fans praying for him to leave must realise one thing: he’s a lot better than they are. He is, after all, living their dream.
So why is he now sixth in line for two or three positions? Because he often drifts out of position. When the opposing strikers break, the rest of Arsenal’s defence has to scramble to plug the hole. His passing is slow – far too slow for Arsenal’s style. He tends to overhit or under-hit what should be routine passes. And there’s something more, something beyond his control: Mustafi is a disappointment. Fans want more from a player who cost £35m – the fee Arsenal paid Valencia for him. He never set the fee. He just played well enough to make Arsenal believe he was worth it. He wasn’t. So he represents an error of judgement. He is ambulatory failure. No-one likes to be reminded of their mistakes. So he must go. Any takers?
Why No VAR? Blatant Liverpool foul for first Arsenal goal
Good news for Arsenal fans is that you can feel hard done by at losing 3-1 to Liverpool. Salah’s terrific goal, Liverpool’s third, came after a second from the penalty spot following a typical David Luiz moment of stupidity, but the game-changing first strike should not have stood.
Up until Joël Matip headed wickedly past Leno, the game had been tight. Arsenal debutant Nicolas Pépé curled one just over and shot too close to the ‘keeper after his pace and skill had out him clean through. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s attempt from the edge of the area into an unguarded net drifted narrowly wide.
And then that opeening goal – the one scored from a corner in which Joel Matip got more space as Virgil van Dijk fouled his marker, Mattéo Guendouzi. This is how the Guardian saw it:
Replays supported Mattéo Guendouzi’s argument that Liverpool players had in effect held him in a headlock, yet there was no VAR intervention despite the fact that several minutes had been wasted at the preceding corner in checking whether an alleged Nacho Monreal offence was worthy of a red card.
So Gunners fans can feel that improvement has been made. And when three parts of their defence return to full fitness – Bellerin, Tierney and Holding – the future will only be brighter.
Transfer Balls: Mustafi is ready to leave Arsenal
Vilifying one footballer for a team’s poor performances is brutal. And Shkodran Mustafi hasn’t been all bad for Arsenal. Or maybe the take away from the The Sun’s Top Trumps-style compare and contrast with Manchester United’s £85m recruit Harry Maguire sheds light less on the German’s abilities than Maguire’s hugely inflated fee. Both played 31 games for their respective sides. Their record for last season is as follows – both players featured in 31 games for Arsenal and Leicester City, respectively:
- Blocks – Maguire 18, Mustafi 17
- Interceptions – Maguire 37, Mustafi 58
- Tackles – Maguire 31, Mustafi 62
- Tackles won – Maguire 17, Mustafi 45
- Percentage of tackles won – Maguire 55%, Mustafi 73%
- Clearances – Maguire 152, Mustafi 161
- Headed clearances – Maguire 77, Mustafi 106
- Aerial duels won – Maguire 118, Mustafi 123
A more telling stat is that Arsenal new-boy David, Luiz completed more successful passes per 90 minutes than Mustafi. When you’re playing the passing game, Mustafi’s slow, misplaced passes hinder the team. Arsenal are better without him.
A statement from his father and representative Kujtim Mustafi gives points to an imminent transfer: “Shkodran had a great time with Arsenal. We still have a contract for two years and can imagine to stay in London. However the best for both sides is probably to work on a transfer. But for that it also needs market-driven transfer-fees.”
Arsenal may care to present the Sun’s findings in their sales package. And if the buying club only looks at those stats and not his tendency to wander out of position and lump the ball to no-one in particular, Mustafi could go for a fortune.
Posted: 24th, August 2019 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Transfer balls: Arsenal to flog Shkodran Mustafi to Roma for £23m and a year of relief
Arsenal are fighting to keep hold of their brilliant Germany international defender Shkodran Mustafi, 27. Roma want to take the brutally underpaid player (£90,000 a week) on a year-long loan with the obligation to buy for ja ridiculously low fee of just – JUST! – £23m. (How’s that Josh Kroenke, any good? The over-priced big lummox has been stinking up the place for ages.)
The better new for Arsenal is that Josh will splash the dosh this January in the hope to improve the squad reeling from Mustafi’s departure (ok – enough, already – ed).
“As for January,” says Josh, “I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We’ve got to evaluate some things in the short term and figure out where we might need to address going forward, so when January does roll around we’re going to be proactive again.”
A vast and fast centre-back, Josh, and a Patrick Vieira clone in midfield.
Posted: 20th, August 2019 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports | Comment
Arsenal pair forced out by security fears
Can we speculate about the “further security incidents” keeping Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac out of Arsenal’s squad for tomorrow’s Premier League game at Newcastle United? There have been “credible threats” to their safety.
Two weeks ago the players were attacked by a knife-wielding gang in Golders Green, north London. Talk was of an attempted carjacking. Ozil has a swanky motor (black Mercedes G-Class 4×4), but would the villains bother retuning for another go at it?
Arsenal are “providing the players and their families with ongoing support. The welfare of our players and their families is always a top priority. We have taken this decision following discussion with the players and their representatives. We look forward to welcoming the players back to the squad as soon as possible.”
And so the speculation. Is it to do with “Ozil’s recent high profile endorsement of Turkey’s Erdogan and his rejection of his adopted country, Germany?” asks one fan. Or is it because the police can’t nick scooter gangs?
Posted: 10th, August 2019 | In: Arsenal, News, Sports | Comment
Transfer News: Alex Iwobi joins Everton from Arsenal for £34m
Everton never did Wilf Zaha, the brilliant Crystal Palace winger. Instead they’ve shopped around and hired Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi for around £40m. The Arsenal academy product and Nigeria international has agreed a five-year contract.
This looks like good deal all round. Pushed down the pecking order at Arsenal by the arrival of Nicolas Pepe and challenged by the upcoming Reiss Nelson, Iwobi will get regular first-team football at Everton. The Toffees get a skilful and improving player.
The question for Everton is: would any of the so-called top 6 clubs have signed Iwobi for that kind of money?
David Luiz joins Arsenal for £8m
Arsenal have signed David Luiz from Chelsea on a two-year deal for £8m. The 32-year-old Brazil centre-back will be at Emirates for medical today.
This is great move for the Gunners. But why would Chelsea, a club banned from signing players until the end of January 2020, sell one of their most consistent performers to a rival?
Chelsea’s centre-backs now include Germany’s Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma and Denmark’s Andreas Christensen. Feeling confident, Blues fans?
Posted: 8th, August 2019 | In: Arsenal, Chelsea, Sports | Comment
Transfer News: Arsenal sign Kieran Tierney from Celtic for £25m
Exciting times at Arsenal who’ve singed Glasgow Celtic defender Kieran Tierney. The fee is a Sottish transfer record. Age 22, Tierney has won every honour in the Scottish game. The time is ripe for a move. One slight drawback is his current injury that will keep him out of action for around a month.
Arsenal had two bids rejected by Celtic, but the highly promising new regime headed by Raul Sanllehi and Edu waited and got their man.
Tierney joins Arsenal on a five-year deal earning him around £70,000 a week.
In other news, Arsenal look set to sign Chelsea centre-back David Luiz for £8 million.
Arsenal fan Carl Jenkinson joins Nottingham Forest
Carl Jenkinson has joined Nottingham forest. He wasn’t the greatest talent to play for Arsenal. But he supported the club and lived the dream, joining the Gunners in 2011. That was the transfer window when Arsenal replaced Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona, £35m), Samir Nasri (Man C, £25m), Gael Clichy (Man C, £7m) with Mikel Arteta (Everton, £10m), Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea, free) and Andre Santos (Fenerbahce, £6.2m). It was the season when Arsenal bought players like a desperate lover looking for a last minute gift on the garage forecourt. Arsenal gave up hopes of winning the title. Jenkinson (Charlton, £1m) was part of the era of limited ambition. He got lucky:
In a game gone mad with money and greed, Jenkinson is a hero:
Arsenal : £60m plus Emile Smith Rowe for Upamecano; Mustafi on his way
Having damned Arsenal as “skint”, the Sun now bills them as “DESPERATE” in reaction to the Gunners’ £65m bid of Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano. You may recall when Arsenal had a “derisory” £40m to spend this summer. That was before they lashed out around £100m on Saliba, Pepe and Martinelli. And now there’s very big money move for France’s Upamecano. And they might well get him.
The German side want £90m for their man. But they’re willing to take £60m plus Arsenal tyro Emile Smith Rowe, either on a permanent deal or long loan. The 19-year-old is valued at £20m. He spent part of last season at the Bundesliga side, although injury hampered his performance.
Arsenal should have the money if they can get shot of the irksome Shkodran Mustafi before the European transfer window shuts. Monaco are keen and willing to meet the Gunners’ £27m asking price. The French club can recruit Mustafi up to the September 2 deadline. Arsenal hope that having got shot of Laurent Koscielny to a retirement village in France and with Carl Jenkinson eyeing a move to Notts Forest, that dire defence will finally get the revamp in needs.
Failing that – and the smart money is on Arsenal getting their man – the Gunners will move for Juventus benchwarmer Daniele Rugani. The Italians have rejected Arsenal’s offer the loan deal, preferring to sell the not-all-that-quick Rugani. Arsenal remain keen on Celtic’s Kieran Tierney.
Posted: 7th, August 2019 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Arsenal sell Koscielny to Bordeaux
Arsenal are looking for a new captain following Laurent Koscielny’s transfer to Ligue 1 side Bordeaux for £4.6m.
Koscielny, 33, had a year left on his Arsenal deal and was looking for longer renewed contract. He’d never get it. Injuries and age prevent Arsenal from such a commitment.
The player on his day can rightly claim to be world-class. But those days are rare. And as a captain he’s been indifferent. Arenal hanker for a vocal force on the pitch. Koscielny wasn’t it.
These are exciting times at Arsenal. The club remain interested in Celtic’s Kieran Tierney and will sell Carl Jenkinson, 27, to Championship side Nottingham Forest as soon as feee can be agreed.
Arsenal are also interested in RB Leipzig’s 20-year-old French centre-back Dayot Upamecano and Juventus defender Daniele Rugani.
Transfer Balls: Arsenal in talks to take Coutinho on loan
Arsenal are looking to recruit Barcelona’s former Liverpool player Philippe Coutinho. Surplus to requirements at Barcelona should their pursuit of Neymar bear fruit, Coutinho looked destined to join the soulless fashion brand that is PSG. But here come Arsenal. Can they pull off a transfer coup?
The Gunners play Barcelona in the Nou Camp in the (checks notes) Joan Gamper Trophy tomorrow night. Arsenal transfer guru Raul Sanllehi used to do much the same job at at the Spanish club.
So how much for the £142m man? The Sun says Barcelona are “looking for around £27m from the prospective buyer”. Not as a final transfer fee, surely? A loan fee for a season. Over £2m a month for Coutinho is an absurd sum – even for Arsenal who spend that much on the combined disappointments of Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Can Arsenal shift them and fund a move for the former Liverpool playmaker?
Arsenal get serious : Nicolas Pepe becomes a Gooner for £72m
Rejoicing at Arsenal. The Gunners, described by the Sun as “skint”, have invested a club record fee of £72m for Nicolas Pepe. The 24-year-old is on a five-year contract. And he is a terrific prospect.
“Being here is very emotional,” says Pepe. “I have come a long way and struggled a lot and so signing for this great club is a big reward. It was important to make the right decision and I am convinced that Arsenal is the right choice.”
Last season Arsenal were the only side in the top 6 to concede more shots on goal than they took. But they still scored the league’s third highest total. They created the most quality changes in the league. Pepe shoots on sight. Exciting times at the Emirates…
Talking balls: Manchester United mix up and Arsenal’s Pepe not African
Tip-top reporting from the Daily Star, which manages to illustrate a story on Romelu Lukaku with a pen pic of his Manchester United teammate Paul Pogba. It also hails Arsenal’s new player the “France winger” Nicolas Pepe. He plays for the Ivory Coast, which isn’t in France. S
Oh, and Pogba hasn’t been left out of the United squad in Norway. He’s on the bench:
Such are the facts.
Posted: 30th, July 2019 | In: Arsenal, Back pages, Key Posts, manchester united, Sports, Tabloids | Comment
Transfer balls: Arsenal ARE selling Mustafi
New to gladden the hearts of all Arsenal fans: Shkodran Mustafi is wanted by Monaco and AC Milan. Arsenal reason the German international is worth €30m. the only downside is that Laurent Koscielny wants to leave the club. however, should the Gunners get a good fee for Mustafi plus the £10m they seek for Koscielny, they’d have the cash to buy a decent replacement. Centre-backs Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Calum Chambers, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Rob Holding would all remain on the books.
Of course, Arsenal are splashing out £72m on Lille winger Nicolas Pepe. So he’s used up all the money, right? No. The Pepe deal involves paying £20m up front for the 22-year-old Ivory Coast international and the other £52m in instalments within five years.
