Didn't realize Lille won the French title. Didn't pay attention to that league at all. Shocked actually. I stepped away from football this year. For the first time since I became a fan of the sport, I watched the least amount of football overall as well as the least number of Arsenal games. I thought that was intentionally impossible.

Sterling talk hotting up.

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/ ... r-20712272

Could see why we would want him (apparently he loves Arteta) but can’t see why on Earth he’d come to us. Probably end up at chelsea or something

Onana drug ban appeal decision is to be heard today. If the ban is upheld or shortened it is expected he could leave for £2m. If is ban is quashed and he’s free to play it is expected he could leave for £7m.

Either way that’s nothing for a goalkeeper of decent reputation.

Hi TG,

No top player at the peak of his career would come for us unless:


1. They were being offered obscene amounts of money.

2. It was obvious we were about to join the ranks of clubs splashing astronomical amounts on transfers and would thus be an elite club again very quickly.


I doubt either is going to happen so I take any rumours of Sterling with a pich of salt. Plus they are likely to want in excess of £50m.

Ancelotti has gone to Real Madrid. He leaves Everton having spent a huge amount of money, almost certainly increased their wage bill massively and has not really improved them at all. Plenty of people were laughing at Arsenal for not getting Ancellotti when he went to Everton but if you just scratch the surface a little bit it was obvious he wasn't the right sort of manager for us. Ancellotti is a 'light touch' manager, doesn't tend to go deep in to tactics and training, he is more of a conductor and a man manager - in many ways a bit like Wenger - and he doesn't stay at clubs for very long. We needed a manager who was going to build something - the jury is still out for many if Arteta is that man but I'm certainly happy we didn't get Ancellotti

50m and a salary of 250k a week at least

Only thing is I heard some comments from sterling about Arteta that certainly lend some credibility that he rates him as a coach. Also it brings him back to London for the first time in his career.

I suppose if we sold Nketiah and Lacazette for 45 million ish then there comes a requirement to bring a player into our front 3 and if can also offload Willian’s wages. It may not be financially unrealistic.

What are the the options for sterling ? Which clubs are in the market for a winger ? Chelsea, united or a return to Liverpool?

Our unwavering priority should be midfield

Xhaka replacement plus a number 10. Like Darren and others I’d prefer Ødegaard to Buendia. I think he’s shown enough to suggest he has a final ball to win games in the premier league and has a higher ceiling.

Right now surely the idea we are about to spend 100 million on just sterling and Ødegaard feels far fetched without major departures.

Sterling seems like a very unlikely signing, but if we can pull it off he's one of those you break the bank for. One of the best performing attacking players in the league in the past 4-5 years, and still only 26 years old. Everything about him is proven; quality, consistency, ability to perform at the top level and in the PL.

Still very early in the summer obviously, but I have to say I really like the profile of the players we've been linked with by usually reliable sources so far:

Bissouma - central midfielder, 24 years old
Buendia - attacking midfielder, 24
Zeki Celik - right back, 24
Onana - goalkeeper, 25
Noussair Mazraoui - right back, 23
Sambi Lokonga - central midfield, 21

All with a lot to prove at the top level, but all of them have a good reputation and are at the right age for our rebuild. Then of course there's Ødegaard who's just 22. We seem to be at least looking at the right profiles, but of course it's all about actually signing some of them too.

Has anyone renewed their Season Tickets?

I've received several invitations but the 'RENEW NOW' tabs don't seem to work.

Am I alone in finding the Arse.com website clunky and counter-intuitive?

I agree with you about Arsenal.com but I have renewed it. I’ve had an email confirming it. Having said that, although I renewed it last Thursday they haven’t taken the money yet so at least I hope it’s renewed.

Florida Cup matches in the US late July in Orlando. After the Edinburgh trip mid July.
Players can work on their suntans before the Aug. 14 EPL start. No rest for the weary much.

https://arseblog.news/2021/06/arsenal-c ... o-florida/

Saka gets his first international goal to put England 1-0 up. He’s been the best player on the park today playing from a left wing position

I didn’t watch the game, nor any other tonight, but if Arsenal are going to be perceived as a club going nowhere fast, I imagine it won’t be too long before the likes of the Manchester clubs and Chelsea start sniffing round Saka. He wasn’t an Arsenal fan as a kid, so it won’t surprise me if he’s tempted to make his move away sooner than Kane was at Tottenham.

Next season is the only one where I’m absolutely confident Saka will still be an Arsenal player. That’ll take him to 2022, two years off the end of his contract in 2024. I’d expect Arsenal to be tempted to consider serious offers (meaning financially generous ones) then.

Well done Saka! First international game, and first international goal. Much more to come from him too.
Like Bernard, I fear he may leave within 2 seasons should we remain as unambitious.

Very hot and humid over there in July - not much fun at all.

Not sure Chelsea need him. Handy player but am sure he'd want very high wages at the peak of his playing years.

I can't recall whether he left Liverpool before or after Klopp arrived. I think United would be interested and maybe even Totts if Kane is off.

A little before. According to Wikipedia Sterling left Liverpool in July 2015 and Klopp went there in October 2015. Must admit though, Sterling strikes me as more of a replacement for Son than Kane if Tottenham go for him. Sterling and Son both seem quick skilful midgets who mostly play wide.

Trying to navigate the magic kingdom in July with 7 year old kids is bad enough due to the humidity. I can’t imagine why you would want to play a pre season tournament there after a European championships has occurred.

Couldn’t see city selling to United, probably spurs or liverpool then

Just noticed it was his fifth international cap.

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/footbal ... eal-Madrid

This would be a great signing for us if we can do it. The guy has spotted so many talented players

Conte apparently in discussions with Spurs. That would worry me, he's a seriously good manager.

It’s an odd one because didn’t he leave chelsea because he didn’t like living in England.

Didn't he get sacked TG?

Ceballos, Ødegaard, Luiz and Ryan formally released.

Shalke have released Kolasinac; he's still under contract so he may return.

I've seen a few people talking about comparison between Leno and Onana. The general opinion is that in most GK attributes they are very similar, including their weaknesses. Opinion generally seems to be that Onana is a lot better with his feet and with his distribution.

If you take all that as true, and take it as true that Leno doesn't want to sign an extension AND that Arsenal are staying true to their blueprint of making decisions on players with 2 years left on their deal (sell or new contract) - then it makes sense to bring in Onana, sell Leno and make maybe £15m on the two deals to push in to other areas of the team.

My only concern with the likes of Leno and Xhaka leaving is that those weren't two players we desperately needed to get rid of, so all it does is add yet more transfer business that we need to do. A new GK is potentially a hard player to transition in to a team as well. In an ideal world you're back 4 and GK are well established as a unit for some time.

He was but I think the suggestion was he had a hugely impressive first season then told the board he hadn’t settled in London but somehow they convinced him to stay and sign a new contract then his second was a Mourinho style season where he was fed up, uninterested and practically nonchalant and they sacked him.

I read Arsenal have an option to extend Chambers and Guendouzi's deal by an extra year. Both have contract's expiring in 12 months.
In Chambers case this makes sense. Unless a huge offer comes in for him he can be cover at RB and CB and count as a home grown player.
We're actively trying to reach an agreement with Marseille for Guendouzi so whilst there may be no need to extend his contract Marseille shouldn't get the knock down rate a player with only 1 year left on his deal would normally get because Guendouzi effectively has 2 years left

Door slightly ajar perhaps?

All developments regarding players extending their contracts; joining/re-joining us; or leaving us will be officially communicated as soon as they are confirmed.

Totally embarrassing the England fans booing last night however I can’t say I’m shocked by it. Having travelled to watch England play away in Berlin nothing really surprises me when it comes to the type of behaviour our fans exhibit especially away from home. The bombers song, IRA nonsense, fighting. A continual total embarrassment for the whole country

As usual David squires nails it

It will be hot and humid. Pool lounging at its finest. If any of them have time for that.

Few reports around that we’ve made a £30m plus add ons bid for Buendia. Villa also in for him and have made a similar bid by all accounts.

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.