Willian Dubai trip being investigated. Apparently he wasn't given approval to go there. May have to self isolate.

He got himself into this. Ridiculous to go that far just to sample extravagant steak seasonings.

At least you didn't need approval to go to Edinburgh Bernard.

Let's face it, if you had to choose one to join Elneny on the covid list he'd have been near the top.

This on top of Kola testing positive now for C19. Leeds should be a thrill of a match. I'm being partially sarcastic.

Apparently we agreed a £800k deal for 18 year old CB Omar Rekik from Hertha Berlin as part of the deal that took Guendouzi there on loan. Rekik is meant to be joining us in January, would either go in to the U23 squad or go straight back out on loan

Watching England.

Have to say Grealish is some player. He reminds me a bit of merson In the way merse used to always run on his front foot looking to go forward. We are absolutely desperate for this type of player

Another centre back. Just what we need.....

3 of our current lot are out of contract this summer. I’m expecting us to be in the market for a right sided CB in the summer. This lad is 18, probably won’t be in the first team for a while

Saka good for england again tonight. I want to see him in a left wing role for us. Get Tierney behind him as a natural full back, or if Arteta wants to play a back 3 get Tierney or AMN behind him as a wing back

Certissimo!

Tierney-Saka on the left side, could be the 2nd coming of Cole-Pires.

When I watch old clips in color, 70s and prior, the GK wore green on both sides. This was tradition or the rule?

https://www.thefocus.news/football/on-l ... onal-duty/

That meant the likes of Jonny Evans were rested, with young defender Daniel Ballard among those brought in.

He has never made a senior Arsenal appearance – and is currently on loan at Blackpool in League One – but shone in the 1-1 draw with Romania.

At the risk of opening up a political can of worms (which may be impossible), I just heard on the news Johnson is 'dramatically' increasing military spending.
Are there specific reasons such as Russia, China, etc? Or no specific reason. I was just surprised to hear it on the news.

Phew. Motivated myself to reopen and finish the Arsene autobiography.

The second half was even more turgid and boring than the first half. Entirely factual and with no insights given.

When you think of the dramas that Arsenal have endured over recent years that is quite remarkable. To omit all of that is staggering really.

Apparently Luiz 'hit Ceballos on the nose' in training today.

https://www.football365.com/news/arsena ... t-shambles
Aubameyang had to sleep on an airport floor over the international break because of a Gabon admin error

Not clear whose admin error it was. It doesn’t say, not in that report nor in any in the past couple of days.

Was it The Gambia seeking to gain an advantage?

You could have said it was the best book ever written, and I still wouldn’t have got it. But what you’ve said of it doesn’t surprise me at all.

It is remarkably bland. Inoffensive in the absolute extreme.

Think it was last Friday as today is Thursday. Unless it was today, Thursday, which would make sense. Apparently it was last Friday....

The Gunners boss organised a practice match last Friday but he would have been less than impressed with two of his player’s behaviour as Luiz and Ceballos clashed.

Exactly in character of how he ran the club. Don’t make waves, socialist wage policy to avoid issues, never criticise. The remarkable football under him in the early years is the only reason I think fondly of him because the last 10 years were bland.

There’s a report saying Giroud is ready to leave Chelsea to improve his chances of playing in next years Euro’s. Given our problems in attack is he worth a short term punt?

No thanks. I'd rather give Pépé more time and wait for Martinelli. When is he due back?

Aiming to return to full training by the end of the calendar year according to the club website.

Will Arteta play him

I've always thought Arsenal fans were overly harsh. He was bought right after RvP left and with the season RvP had, the expectations of anyone coming in was always going to be too high.

Other fans couldn't understand why gooners were tough on Giroud. Chelsea knew it as well and were well served by him. He has his own song with them.

Only on here !

I had a feeling it wasn't going to be a good read. I wasn't motivated at all to get it when it was announced because I had a feeling he wouldn't be 1. forthright and 2. would have a narrative that was steeped in revisionist history so his legacy and statue won't be hauled down by some using the BLM protests as cover...lol.

A few things that would make me buy his book:
1. Truthful details on Anelka and Fabregas leaving and not being invited back.
2. What was said between him and RvP prior to him leaving.
3. How he really felt about Adebayor, Nasri, Ashley Cole, Mourinho, fat Sam, Kroenke, members of the board, and a few others.
4. What he felt about Dein's actions with both Kroenke and Usmanov.
5. How he felt about a few peope/things here on the SG forum.

I finished it and think it’s one of the most boring and pointless books ever

If you are struggling to get to sleep then read a couple of paragraphs and bang your out like a light.

There is literally no insight at all, the only things I read i didn’t know was the name of David Deins yacht and that Glen hoddle read the bible on the team bus at Monaco.

Nothing about the battles with United, the lean years , the pressure or the glory and there is zero “feeling “ in the book what so ever.

Top guns review 1/10 it’s the worst piece of written word of all time in history.

I’d completely forgotten about Glenn Hoddle reading the bible at Monaco but now you mention it, I had heard that before. If my memory serves, from more than one publicly available source. So even that isn’t new.

Hence we’re down to the name of David Dein’s yacht if looking for something new. I’m aware they say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but what earth shattering news! Ground breaking in its importance.

David Coote is the ref who was on VAR for the Merseyside derby and who didn’t intervene on the pickford/van dijk incident. He was ‘rested’ by the refs association for a few games and was appointed to var again this weekend in the Liverpool v Leicester game.....Liverpool fans were in uproar and the refs association have taken him off the game!

Perhaps it was unwise to put him on that exact game and should have waited longer but how can the referee association bow to fan pressure to get officials they don’t like taken off their games?

If this is the precedent I’ll happily draw up a list of refs I don’t want anywhere near Arsenal games

Elneny and Saha report (and Kolasinac)

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/moha ... f387999be3

It’s like reading an instruction manual for a printer cover to cover

It appears The Sun named the yacht years before Wenger would have written his book, so even that isn’t new.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/footb ... p-arsenal/

Someone in my family is sure to be thinking about buying this book for me as a Christmas present. I think I might warn them all off. Socks and pants as usual instead please

Partey still out with thigh injury. Won't be in Leeds match. No surprise really.

Hmm. Midfield should be interesting what with Elneny out as well.

Arsenal U23's beat Everton 1-0 today. Saliba, Sokratis, Chambers, Smith-Rowe all played. Emile Smith Rowe scored the goal. Balogun got himself sent off in the second half.