Cost Chelsea £26.6M to sack Conte after he finished 5th in the PL and therefore failed getting into the CL.

Suggestion is that Norwich will only accept an offer over 40million. Seems a lot right ?

I am glad to see the BLM scam getting the reception it deserves. High tome this pathetic activity was terminated.

I’m not black nor am I from a minority so I accept I probably know little and understand less on this particular issue. I totally accept that knee thing is a mass gesture and it’s a collective message of dissatisfaction with which I and and everyone else should fully and freely associate ourselves. I’m happy to do so and I have.

I know it all started with a desire by a black American footballer to come up with a pointed response to the American national anthem which could set him apart from the celebratory and white-centred self-aggrandising themes of that song. Our national anthem is no better.

However, it has always seemed to me that whilst ‘taking the knee’ is an act of resistance, bending the knee is actually an act of subservience. There’s an odd contradiction for me.

Tommy Smith and John Carlos’ simple clenched fists were - and probably would be - so much more powerful, though probably more incendiary. No mixed messages there.

Not for me to say though.

I would imagine Zaha agrees with you, seeing that he stopped taking the knee.

No, if they wish to it is for anybody to say what they feel about this issue. The very public act of knee-bending is played out on our screens to invite us to think, and speak about racism. It is a subject relevant to all. Like you I think the clenched fist was much more powerful, and inspirational, than the bended knee. Many working-class people I know, and I include myself in this, find the gesture subservient. Being on our knees may help when playing with kids or doing the garden - anti-racism needs us to stand up tall.

Kaepernick was originally sitting on the bench while the anthem was being played but a military vet who wrote him suggested he bend his knee so as not to disrespect the flag. The news sources like Fox don't say that part. Whether one agrees with him or not, his intention was not the disrespect military veterans. But the right in America conveniently will not say he chose to 'take a knee' specifically and now that I come to think of it, neither does the left. I come from a family of military vets, my eldest brother serving in Vietnam so I was a bit sensitive to it all but understood why.



I don't think the whole BLM thing means different things to different blacks who protest. Blacks in America may have some things in common with their British counterparts (perhaps over policing/police abuse) but also each have unique issues the other doesn't. And within those groups there are things they differ about in importance. BLM has also become an all encompassing phrase for anything deemed oppressive. In America, there were BLM marches in cities with very few Blacks (Salt Lake City, Utah for example, a Mormon enclave).

I don't know much about the British black experience but from what I gather from the news here, part of the protests are against historical figures they felt were racist, bigoted, etc. Not so much in America. They do, but its more endemic and systemic barriers.

When I first became a fan I was aghast at the openly anti semitic references to Tottenham. I recall when reading 'Fever Pitch' the writer said Arsenal probably has as much if not more Jewish fans but would repeat these chants. I never liked it or used it. I also was a bit sensitive to Arsenal, London and southern England fans calling northern England fans 'monkeys'. They weren't directing it to black fans which is what made me scratch my head at first because in America and on the continent 'monkey' references was directed at black players.

Not trying to sound holier than thou but I'm the same with anything I deem bigoted or anything that I see as bullying. I grew up with a cross cultural number of friends. We were all poor city kids, and all we wanted was just to play with people we liked personally, everything else, we didn't care about. The son of the Korean grocer up the street who was the best pinball player and we could literally play for a few hours because he would come in when we needed help, the Puerto Rican brothers who we relied on for our little league baseball team, my learning Hebrew helping fellow 12 year old Benny, study for his Bar Mitzvah as a condition for him to play football with us on Saturdays, even though he didn't want anything to do with it, and was the most non religious of all of us. You picked on one one of us, you fought all of us. We lost a few games when other kids would racially/ethnically abuse one of us and we all rushed them..lol..some funny moments looking back. As an aside, the Irish-American kids were the toughest. White kids, Black kids, Latinos, Italian-American, Irish-American, an Asian or two, 1 guy who looking back you knew was gay but you didn't really think about it, very unique for Philly which like most northern cities, were made up ethnic neighborhoods of only one group that didn't get along with another, but we all shared a park and youth sports teams that united us. But looking back and we still love each other dearly, we were what America wanted to be but never achieved it as a collective. African Americans do have a legitimate gripe. Others as well.

I can simultaneously support Israel but want better treatment for Palestinian Arabs if that makes any sense. I am outraged at America's continued treatment of our aboriginal peoples, many living in abject poverty in the supposed richest nation on earth.

Some may not like the mixing of sport and politics but wouldn't it have been better had we all boycotted the '36 Olympics? I had mix feelings about boycotting the '80 Olympics and had no ill will that England went. I felt we were a bit hypocritical telling the Russians they were wrong invading Afghanistan while we have been doing the same (Vietnam, etc.) prior and since. Pot and kettle more than anything else.

The rancor about the BLM protests also seems based on what generation one belongs to and/or ideology. Not always but usually.

Some of the symbols of support by companies and perhaps some clubs and leagues may be self aggrandizing, riding the current social climate. Hard to tell. Some demands by some circles may be too much. In America its former Presidents, 2 of them on Mt. Rushmore (Jefferson and Washington, slave owners) and in the UK I've seen Churchill and other statues of people I've read great things about being derived. But I don't know your history in enough detail to suggest. There is a line but that line varies with each person.

Hoping in the end it all rights itself. But it must start on a one to one basis.

Why did we release Matty Ryan?

Hoping it's so he gets released by Brighton and we can get him back. Will be very disappointed if we don't.

RIP Alan Miller. Really sad news.

I don’t think we had a choice, he was on loan until June 1st (the usual dates for these things) same as Ceballos and Ødegaard and the end of Luiz’s contract.
I’d agree I’d like Ryan back, thought he was a pretty solid No.2

The 1st June (Tuesday this week) was also the point at which Arsenal were no longer obliged to pay Özil £315,000 per week. Apparently we were still paying him 90% of his full wages with us (£350,000 a week) to persuade him to go, with Fenerbahce picking up the other £35,000 or 10%.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mirror ... 982060.amp

Arsenal have announced the player of the year awards, voted for by the fans I believe. 1st place not yet announced but it will obviously be Saka. 2nd was Pépé and 3rd was Tierney

I assume this was the same for Mustafi and Sokratis to varying degrees of % wages paid.
As much as we (i) talk about transfer values in and out it would be interesting to see the changes in the annual wage bill. It is well known we needed to reduce this massively but still gave Aubameyang and Willian huge deals. But now effectively losing the wages of Özil, Mustafi, Sokratis and Luiz from the books must be getting on for £650k a week, or £33m a year..... or 1 Buendia transfer fee (if rumours are to be believed)

I imagine it’s a fairly safe bet that similar principles will apply to the departures of Sokratis and Mustafi, even if the percentages weren’t the same as in Özil’s case. Because they were paid a great deal less than Özil, the amount will surely differ greatly. My guess is if Willian does end up moving to America, a similar arrangement will be in place for him as well.

I am not aware of any other club doing the same to get rid of players. The problem is that it becomes the thin edge of the wedge. Why would SK, Willian, Torreira, Gurndouzi leave without the same deal. Some might go just because they themselves want to move on but you can bet that they will only go to clubs they want to and provided Arsenal smooth the way forward with a favourable transfer fee if any. I know and understand why we did it but I am not sure people fully understood the possible consequences.

I think there has been an inherent problem with our contracts. They are top loaded and because of Wenger socialist wage policy out of kilter with other clubs. We need all future contracts to be performance based. Not just appearance but bonus related according to finishing position and trophies won. Of course, now that we are a team in the middle of the league we will never get people to sign on those terms. But we simply cannot afford to pay players like Aubameyang 300k per week or Willian 200-225k per week.

The contracts are one thing but the quality of the player being obtained is the main problem.
If you are signing players of the quality of Sokratis, Kolasinac and mustafi then giving them a 120k salary like we did you have major problems. If their contracts we’re 50 to 70k you would get some suitors but at 120 not and they won’t take a pay cut.

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/footba ... 38615.html

If Arsenal are up against Villa for the signature of Buendia we're going to look pretty silly if we don't sign him now unless the price gets stupid and we publically pull out.

£30m plus add on bids launched, I suspect with two teams wanting him Norwich will hold out for more and that something like £35m + add ons will get there. Norwich have to give 20% of any fee to Buendia's previous club.

I could see Grealish going to Man City for a big fee. Especially if the rumours of City wanting to move on Sterling and Mahrez are true.

Happy Birthday Lukas Podolski. Not sure what he did to Wenger but he was surely underutilized.

I'm not necessarily aware of other clubs doing it either, but they are having similar problems. Man U extended the contracts of Mata, Ashley Young, Rojo and Phil Jones to protect the transfer value of these players. This extended the length Man U paid their wages because clubs weren't biting their hands off to take any of these players. Phil Jones is still contracted to Man U until 2023!
They definitely subsidised Sanchez's £500k a week wages when he signed on loan with Inter and I dare say might still well be contributing something to his wages until his contract length would have been up with them.
Pogba's contract is up in 12 months so it isn't just us that has contract issues with players, its just when clubs with a lot more money have them it can be swept under the carpet with another £40m dutch international signing who sits on the bench all season

Kieran Trippier and Bellerin swap deal ?

Any takers ?

I think Trippier is better, certainly better delivery but Trippier is 30, we need to be bringing in a right back with his best years ahead of him not behind him. If we want an English right back I'd rather we went for Aarons.
Our right-back signing (assuming we make one) might well come out of left-field on the basis that i think Arteta has a quite specific set of attributes for his right back which isn't necessarily a right footed Tierney. I think he's looking for the City style full back who comes inside and makes up numbers in central midfield.
Maybe I'm wrong and we'll pull Hakimi out of the hat, a modern electric paced full back. He'd be my ideal right back. the goals and assist numbers he posts are the best on the world from full back I'd have thought

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but it does seem really pointless to have brought him on board for a brief spell. https://metro.co.uk/2021/06/03/arsenal- ... RKRSP8fuq0

Does he post more goals and assists than Tavernier at Rangers?

We were desperate for an attacking midfield player and we didn’t really look convincing this season till he came into the side in my opinion.

I don’t think it’s great our team is being made up by temporary cast offs but at that point in time it was Hobson’s choice. We were screwed.

The story of our season was that Arteta needed to have the money for 2 new midfielders at the start but was only given Partey. It’s a completely wasted football season.

I’m still shocked that Barca, Real and Bayern haven’t swooped in to match Roma’s 10 million pound offer for Granit Xhaka. Clearly haven’t seen his pass completion statistics, he’s a bargain at ten mill come on Senors

Ah yes, good shout. No I don’t think he does. Hakimi had 7 goals and 10 assists in the league last year, in a better league than the Scottish Prem. tavernier scored an incredible 12 goals last year

I get that. But we didn’t achieve anything anyway, even with him. We’d have been better off giving game time to one of ‘ours’. At least it would improve their sell on value if nothing else. We starting to look like a Div 1 team trying to get promoted with loaners.

Three days late with this...but RIP Jose Antonio Reyes, June 1, 2019.

Thats what a change in manager can do. No one's fault.

Sort of. But at the outset a six month loan period looked like it didn’t really take us forward. And so it has proved. We might have got lucky but it never looked likely.

Also, who'd have guessed Ancelotti would jump ship from Everton to go to RM as soon as Zidane left.
No 6 months didn't take us forward, but Ødegaard may have needed a little more time. No chance now if he returns to RM, given he'll be part of Ancelotti's plans so it seems.

Without him I think we would have finished in the bottom half of the table I reckon, manager likely sacked for that. You can’t expect that to be acceptable

Hi ltg,

I'm not a fan of loans without an option to buy. For a so called big club signing a player on loan without an option to buy makes little sense because the better they do then more the price tag goes up, other clubs take note and enter the bidding or the parent club decides to keep the player.

If he'd got us top 4 it would have been a calculated short term gamble that paid off but I find it hard to get invested in a player with no option to buy at the end of it all.

Even if we get Buendia, how confident are people that he’ll be better or represent an improvement on Ødegaard? Because I’m not. Signing Norwich’s best player, if we do, does less for me than signing an outstanding young prospect from Real Madrid who they rate highly enough to not give us an option to buy.

Some have found Ødegaard a little underwhelming. I haven’t. His performances against West Ham and Brighton, and he produced in other games too, convinced me he’s a special talent. Very special. Buendia has shone in the second tier of English club football. Sure, it’s a competitive league so I’m not going to write that off with ‘big deal’. But given the choice of either keeping Ødegaard or recruiting Buendia, my own personal decision would be to retain Ødegaard.

Also, Buendia has played first team football with three clubs. He had two seasons in the Getafe side, a small top tier outfit who have played in La Liga for only sixteen years of their existence and have never won the Spanish top tier league or cup. After that they sent him on loan to Cultural Leonesa, currently a third tier Spanish club. Then he was sold to Norwich. Certainly not the smallest club in England but miles away from what I think of a big club. I hope I’m wrong but I’m finding it hard to feel excited about him joining Arsenal.

To be honest socrates, you refer to us as a “so called big club”. Are we still? We’re now a KSE club, and have been for ten years. Sure, although it’s fallen over that time we’ve still a huge worldwide fan base and as a result can fill a big stadium. But the size of Arsenal has fallen under the Kroenke ownership regime, and I will be surprised if that decline doesn’t continue under Stan.

Won't happen. But, I'll take it any day.

Edit: Didn't realised he is already 30. Scratch that, go for a younger one.

Oh, so sad. I always liked him. RIP Reyes.

Maybe I got it all wrong but from afar it seemed Henry felt threatened by Reyes and may be a big part of why he never felt settled in to the club.
I recall later, his agent saying he should have stayed. But on the pitch it seems Henry didn't like him.

But just to show how much other clubs feared him, Man Utd targeted him in one of the worst ways I've ever seen. Also, Drogba may have been the 'Arsenal killer' but Reyes was certainly the 'Chelsea killer'.

At the start of the 04/05 season Reyes was on a level that has not been achieved by many Arsenal players in all my time supporting them. Up until that Man U game Reyes was stunning. Such a shame that he got kicked out of the English game and couldn’t adapt to the rough treatment....and of course didn’t get better protection from refs.

I think I’m more optimistic about the potential of Buendia in our team (should he sign) than others. I did like Ødegaard and I think if you were comparing them both Ødegaard’s ability would be more subtle. Signing a player from the championship or even a player from the prem is pretty rare for Arsenal. The things that stick out for me for Buendia is he is 2 footed, we’ve missed a genuine 2 footed player in central areas. I’m not even talking about goals scored with each foot, just basic passing and dribbling. Ødegaard was very one footed as was Özil. Buendia’s stats show a very high work rate and good in the high press and turnovers. Fans will instantly take to that as well.
Last time Buendia played in the prem he created more chances for his team mates than every player apart from de Bruyne and Trent. I think he only got 7 assists that season. Which I think is still more than any Arsenal player has managed in the past couple of seasons, and putting those chances on for Arsenal’s strikers rather than Norwich’s can up that assist total.