So I suppose we will buy him in 3 years time after he starts slowing up at Chelsea.

Finishing 5th. Unless one of the current top 4 has an off season, I wouldn't expect us to challenge them. Leicester and Tottenham both have European football. Tottenham look likely to lose Kane. Qualifying for Europe should certainly be the minimum. We should be looking to go deep in both cups also.

We agree!

Not when we play them but overall, I'm wishing Brentford and Palace good luck. When I travel to London again, and hopefully it will be during the season, I'd like to see both of them play. Have seen Selhurst Park before but not a game. Brentford will be a new experience.

You just wouldn't let it lie would you

I must say it's massively disappointing to go into the first game of the season with only one definite upgrade in the 1st XI and most of the deadwood still here. Infact, you could argue we are weaker having lost Ødegaard.

A few weeks ago I said I was optimistic about the new season based on the age and profile of players we had already signed and were targeting, but with the proviso that we sign several "first teamers" before the end of the window. That has not happened yet and with our inability to shift the deadwood it seems increasingly likely that we will make no more than one more high profile signing, if that. It will not be enough.

Tonight's game could be very tough, especially if we are not right at it from the very start.

First game in the Prem. Their tails will be up. The stadium will be rocking with anticipation. If we concede early could be a sticky night.

Morning socrates. We’re a Stan Kroenke club. Where does this optimism that there would be big numbers of ins and outs come from? I’ve said this before, I’m certain to Rich and probably others when he was talking about what he thinks we need in terms of a big turnover. There’s no guarantee that what he and others believe is necessary will be the same as what actually happens.

Stan has controlled the club for more than ten years now, as Fiszman died in early 2011. Haven’t we seen enough of him as owner to know what’s realistic? But still people go on about which players they want out and replaced in the kind of numbers that simply won’t occur, at least in terms of a rational judgment.

As with most Arsenal games now any result wouldn’t surprise me. I could make a rational case for us losing 2-0 with only 1 shot on target, equally I could see us scoring first, dominating without creating much and then slacking off and end up drawing 1-1.

I think it will be a win or a draw. First time up in the Prem (ever or in a while, not bothered to look it up) Brentford may be a bit nervous and not used to the occasion.

However, even if we do win, I expect a slow start with regards to results for the first month.

We've not been drawn the best start for many reasons.
Away to a newly promoted team isn't nice.
Home to Chelsea - probably Lukaku's first game, very tough
Away to Man City - they've got a few injuries and may be rusty after lots of players being at the Euro's but they'll have had 2 games to warm up for us.
Then we have the annoying early 2 week international break and you never really want to go in to that break on a bad run or a defeat.

I can't see anything but a defeat away to City. There's a handful of games I almost always chalk up as a defeat for us each season and away to City is the biggest, we can just never even lay a glove on them. I don't feel the same way about Chelsea as we've got results against them in big games and snatched points off them at their ground as well.

It makes tonight's game even more crucial. Win this one and then even losing the next 2 isn't a disaster for a team with aspirations for 5th. We need to be targeting 5 or 6 points from these first 3 games

Last season we only scored 55 goals in the league, but managed to have the 3rd best defence in the league. Scoring goals and creating chances was clearly the big problem. We need to be hitting more like 70 goals as a minimum.

Last year all our defenders combined scored 5 goals
Last year all our holding mids (in the 4-2-3-1) combined scored 2 goals

I wouldn't expect that many more from either of those groups. How many goals do Fabinho, Henderson, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic, Fernandinho, Hojberg, Matic, McTominey get? - it is under 5 collectively per team I'd guess. So if Xhaka/Partey/Lokonga/Elneny can chip in with 5 goals I'd say that's par for the position. Similarly for the defence - maybe a few more set pieces but something like 6-8 goals from them as a group is ok.

So then you need about 60 goals from your front 4. Probably something like 15 each from your forwards and 7-8 each from the 4-5 players who rotate in the 3 positions behind a front man.

Lacazette13
Aubameyang 10
Pépé 10
Saka 5
Emile Smith Rowe 2
Martinelli 2 (from limited appearances)
Ødegaard 1 (from limited appearances)

To me it is clear we need Aubameyang, Saka and Emile Smith Rowe - plus the new creative attacking mid we must bring in - to be picking up the slack here. If each of those players scored just 5 more goals than last year we'd have a very decent season.

I used to approach the first game of the season with excitement and anticipation. Now I realise that I view today with a kind of uneasy dread.

Reading the newspapers and internet is not allaying that feeling. Even if we scrape through this evening there are some major obstacles looming for the team with a pea shooter.

Sadly, it's the same for me. It's just very hard to see this team making it easy for themselves even against lesser opponents (with all due respect to Brentford). Would love to see us just come out roaring, showing we've learned something from last season, but the team has a long way to go to convince the supporters.

According to the Mirror, “the new creative attacking mid we must bring in” isn’t going to be Bernardo Silva. They say he’s rejected a move to Arsenal.

Enough noise to suggest a bid and a deal is imminent for Ødegaard.
He is needed. It opens up more flexibility in our front 4 positions, provides competition for Emile Smith Rowe and allows Emile Smith Rowe to play wide left on occasion which I think gives us a better balance rather than having Aubameyang and Pépé as the wide men who are essentially finishers rather than creators or having much influence in the build up play.

It seems he hasn't been registered in their squad for Real Madrids season premiere tomorrow, so there might be something in these rumours. Some of the Spanish newspapers come across as mouthpieces for Real Madrid, and I'm not sure there would be all these links about him moving if Real were dead set on keeping him. Would be a brilliant signing in my opinion, as I've stated many times before.

Speculating further, if Ødegaard has indeed decided to leave, I don't think it's a big leap to suggest we're the front runners to sign him. He's on record from last year talking about how he wants stability, and isn't interested in playing for a new club every season. He has a very good chance of cementing a starting place here, he knows the club, knows the team, and knows that Arteta rates him highly.

Charles Watts reports that Aubameyang won't play tonight, and has been absent from training for two days. Reasons for his alledged absence are not stated clearly, just saying it is believed he's been ill this week, but I noticed he wasn't seen in the latest set of pictures from training on arsenal.com.

Ødegaard over Maddison all day for me. Likewise I'm not opposed to the idea of Tammy Abraham. I think Aubameyang and Lacazette are not working together and we need to try something new. Would be very interested to see how someone like that would work in this young side.

I also see a few things indicating we may be soon seeing a PL wage cap. I'm sure they''ll be some kind of workaround for some of the wealthier sides but this would be long overdue. Apparently, although the outlay for Ben White was £50m his wages are supposedly very reasonable, relatively speaking. There was also mention on the Arseblog Arsecast on Monday that some clubs are concerned there may be new restrictions on overseas players post-Brexit, which may explain our focus on British talent such as Ramsdale, White & Abraham. That may provide sense of our supposed strategy.

If it comes to happen it does show the upside of loaning a player from a big team. A lot of people are against loans because you're just developing the player for another team and paying wages and maybe a fee for a short-term player who is then no value to you. But, if the relationships go well then you should be head of the queue to sign them.

Ødegaard has had a career similar to many talented young players. They get snapped up early by a super club with much hype, are not trusted and end up with a stop start career with a number of loans, potentially lose their way and often just need a team to trust them and give them a permanent home.

Norwegian sources reporting it too, saying Arsenal and Real Madrid are in the final stages of negotiation. Real Madrid keeping him out of the squad for tomorrow so he doesn't get injured.

If Aubameyang is out and Saka comes back and plays on either wing with Pépé I think it is a better balance to the team

Ødegaard or Maddison, just get it done. My concern with Ødegaard is he doesn't really want to be here. I presume Maddison does, but I don't know. Also, not the popular view but I actually like Maddison a wee bit more. Ødegaard's last few weeks was very good. He started off a bit slow for me. Someone on RM's books should have been better I thought. I'm fine with either one. But I hope if its Ødegaard that comes he's not using us to showcase his skills for another big club.

Now reports that both Aubameyang AND Lacazette are ill and are big doubts to start tonight. Nketiah also injured for 4 weeks

I would put Balogun straight in! I wonder how close Martinelli is to being able to play

I would love to see this happen.

https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-cristiano-ronaldo-set-to-replace-with-kylian-mbappe-and-finally-play-w-20210812?fbclid=IwAR1_PGYzGFHl9Y3k9WTTv7JcO4eKExV_2Oiz7CIRn3NkL05ZZxF1EnZMKpw

Cristiano Ronaldo Set To Replace With Kylian Mbappe And FINALLY Play With Lionel Messi At PSG Next Season

Hi Rich,

Ill or being sold?

I jest, of course. Even if they were being sold they probably still play.

Maybe he'll play Martinelli up top, Pépé or even throw in Balogun. None are perfect solutions but needs must.

I wonder if we’ll have enough to fill a subs bench.

In the mid term I do think we need to be rid of both, I think both are on their way down in their careers, take up huge wages and I don't think they suit the style of the 'modern forward'
Fans look at transfer fees but sometimes forget the cost of wages over the length of a contract. If you believe what is written about Aubameyang's and Lacazette's wages we're committed to paying Aubameyang a further £31m and Lacazette a further £10m until their contract's run out.
Even selling both for free you could bring in a £30m striker on a 4 year deal at £100k a week (Tammy Abraham like figures) for only £10m more

Tickets gone on sale to family and friends for chelsea. Rarely happens, I hope it’s because of covid concerns rather than an appetite to attend The Arsenal. I’ll be there and will be getting there nice and early as I expect DHDs concerns around digital ticketing will be well founded.

Yes Ødegaard makes sense. At the price quoted (43m euros so about 37) it allows us to potentially bring in another player (keeper,striker) rather than spunking the entire budget on Maddison who admittedly I think is better right now.

It's time for Balogun or Martinelli to have their 'Roy of the Rovers' moment and win one for the team.

Wow
Aubameyang and Lacazette both out tonight.
Really hope Arteta doesnt try and be clever for his own good and do something silly like a false nine.
Balogun should be given a chance to show what he can do.
Him or Martinelli.
They are both part of the first team squad so play them.

Could it also be because of the lack of overseas fans who would normally travel to games? I dont know how many of the fans at an average match day have come from overseas but I can imagine people making a long weekend of a trip to London and taking in an Arsenal game at the same time.

Oh, I forgot about the awful false 9 experiments. Thinking back didn't Arteta do it with Willian early on in the season, was it Man City away? and then doing it again vs Villarreal away in the semi with Smith Rowe as a false 9.
Surely he won't do that.

My tip: a 3-0 win to start the season

If Madrid want 40m euros (£34m) for Ødegaard that is a pretty good deal.