Exciting transfer window for a change. We are chasing so many players but its obvious we have to sell as well. Of the big names left, Partey, Coutinho, and Lyon player, if we can only get one I want it to be Partey. Coutinho is obviously the biggest talent we are after this summer, but we need Partey more.
If we can only get Partey and not Coutinho or any other playmaker, I hope Arteta makes amends with Özil.

I'm not expecting to see Lacazette, and a few of the defenders (possibly any of the following: Sokratis, Holding, Kolasniac, Chambers, Luiz). Mustafi probably escapes as its difficult to sell an injured player ( ) as well as other players (Torreira, Guendouzi, Elneny, Mkhitaryan, hoping we keep AMN).

Great business so far. I don't expect to see any of the new players in the CS match. Maybe on the bench. I expect to see them all incorporated into the team as we go along. Probably Luiz and Holding to start for now. Possibly Mari if he's healthy, Soares, a few to choose from but Saliba subbed in at some point no matter who starts. The other defender in at some point. We may start the 2nd half of the season young at the back possibly. Not sure how long Mustafi is out but if he's not back by mid fall, I don't expect him to start except for league cup matches or subbed in or whatever. Hopefully sold in the winter window. The midfield will not change much at the beginning but if we get Partey, I can see him being subbed on late in matches to get acclimated.

The attack is going to be exciting. And when Martinelli comes back...well, I really have a great feeling about him.

So, good reason to be cautiously optimistic. Probably a rough first several matches with everyone trying to learn the system, new players coming in adjusting, etc.

So, Man Utd is trying to hijack our defender?

http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/1043875830?-19 ... ad_top#out
Arsenal set to seal Gabriel transfer as he completes medical despite Manchester United interest

Either Arteta, Willian or both are a little deluded if this story is true.
https://www.skysports.com/football/news ... nal-target

As the polls stand now Biden should win the presidency. Anything can happen in 2 months time but as it stands he should. Biden is not a great candidate. In any other time, he would not be deemed a viable candidate and dare I say, even competent for the office. His nomination indicates the rot from inside the Democratic party. Much better candidates were available but the 'machine', the establishment didn't want any reformers to the already broken system. That said, he can do a decent job. A president, prime minister, etc, is effective if he or she has a vision and the staff competent enough to carry it out. Reagan was similar in terms of his being competent. There is an excellent article about just how bad.
https://www.salon.com/2015/12/28/behind_the_ronald_reagan_myth_no_one_had_ever_entered_the_white_house_so_grossly_ill_informed/
I didn't agree with his politics but he had a strong staff. They were competent in carrying out his vision. Which really was the party's vision.
Biden will be the same. He is competent enough to choose good people around him. Yes, they will be part of the 'machine' but they will be competent and they will be respectful of the office.
I dare say though the if Trump loses, it won't be the end of him. He will not go quietly into the night. My guess is that he will remain very relevant. Why? About 30 to 35 percent of the electorate have a near religious belief in him. I know...I know..but he represents something to them. He represents the 'Mad Men' era of America. A certain social order that is evaporating before their eyes. Other countries, the UK included are facing, these demographic as well as generational changes. The youth are very, very different than their fathers and probably unrecognizable to their grandfathers in most developed countries.
Trump will be relevant via his Twitter account. He won't lose that 30 t0 35 percent. He will tell them who to or not to support in congressional races. And they will listen. The Republican party both fears him and loathes him. The establishment of the party that is. They will try to take the party back and they will from an administrative point but if you can't convince the people who have to vote your politicians then its not real power. Just a veneer.

They don't care how incompetent he is. They don't care how corrupt he is. They look askance at the violations of civil liberties and overt attempts to subvert the democratic process. It's hard to find a person who will admit to voting for Bush these days less they get laughed at. I think there will be more than a few who will still be wearing MAGA hats and proudly stating their support even after the full account of just how dangerous, inept and corrupt he truly was in office.

I have a former coworker from Louisiana. Has a confederate flag tattoo on his shoulder. Republican obviously. And although he was a person I did not maintain contact with after, he had my whatsapp info from when we worked together and was keen to discuss politics and social issues. I tried to ignore him but I wanted to see down that rabbit hole and what was in his mind as he represents the far right. He has an arsenal of weapons in his home. He is one of those conspiracy theorists that the 'global elites' are trying to take 'us' over. So I played along, without making judgments, let him talk freely. He envisions (and he says he is not alone) there will be a time in America where they will simply split up the country. That to avoid a second Civil War, the rural, conservative (coded speech for...well, I won't say but you know) will demand their own land and self governance. He said they are almost all the gun owners so the military will not be able to counter guerilla tactics. So, these are the types that see the Trump era as a "live free or die" (to borrow the motto of the founders) proposition. This is not just a few people. How do you continue as a representative Republic if a larger than acceptable part of your populace has this mindset? You can't. The election of Obama triggered these types. And they see Trump as representative of the feelings that has been either dismissed by the rest of us or ridiculed. They are emboldened now.

If god forbid he wins a second term, it will likely be the most dangerous period America and the world will endure for decades.

While it was clear to me, Arteta changed Xhaka's role somewhat, I hadn't seen the intricate nuance of it and the article states. Interesting...to me at least.

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/arsenal-granit-xhaka-mikel-arteta-18791917

Well the earliest we can even be in it is the 2021/22 season, so to win the Champions League in the next three years we have to do it in either that season or 2022/23. If it was said, I imagine it was to look ambitious.

I have no problem with Arteta telling players we can win the Champions League in three years. It's important to show ambition and instill belief that we can achieve something, and why would it be impossible? If Klopp had said the same thing in 2016 after he'd been at Liverpool for six months people would've probably laughed at him. Three years later they won the Champions League and had a 97 point season in the league.

Not sure what is happening but conflicting reports. Napoli have Gabriel and we have him. I hope this one happens, really do.
We also signed some Feyenoord youth player as well apparently.

http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/1043915078?-19 ... t_read_top

Arsenal have signed 17 year old Salah-Edinne Oulad 'm Hand from Feyenoord. Mixed feelings about that one. On the other hand, not a lot of the starry-eyed younsters that have left us really made it at their new clubs. Zirkzee at Bayern might.

Freddie’s off. https://www.skysports.com/share/12054451

We love you Freddie.......

We love you Freddie.......

There has been all sorts of versions of Gnabry leaving us. I recall Lomekian saying with a lot of certainty the move was orchestrated via Bayern Munich I think, if memory serves me right but it often doesn't.
It's over but there will always be different sides. The surprising thing I got from the article was Pulis not rating him....lol.

https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/why-did-arsenal-sell-super-serge-gnabry/1bxp1lxuxs1s71u3elgym97zen#:~:text=Arsene%20Wenger%20has%20since%20made,on%20to%20become%20a%20star.

Did Arsenal sign him from Feyenoord or was he released and we picked him up? It’s hard to tell from the wording of the articles I’ve read, and the few sudden youth signings we’ve made recently have all been released from the clubs they were at.

I think people like Ivan “We’re going to compete with Bayern Munich” Gazidis, have left people wary of talk of literally the most success the club could have.

Also crucially Klopp didn’t say anything like that. I wonder why that is?

But like you say, all power to Arteta, you get the sense he intends to back up his words.

Wish Freddie the best. One of my faves. But he was in over his head as interim manager. I wish him the best in in his endeavors.

As you may imagine I disagree. Part of the problem with Wengers later reign was he was always making promises to players about next season, new signings and where we may get to next season. A series of players ultimately left because he never delivered. Willian on a 3 year deal was not my idea of the club being rebuilt. It was a manager buying experience to try and protect his job. A 26yo creative midfielder would have been the buy we should make to rebuild.

I would much prefer Arteta to be realistic as to where we will be by the time Willian departs. If he truly believes we will win the CL then let him make it his PKI of his period at the club. Any bonuses to be based on this. I am waiting to see how the transfer period ends and what players we still have in order to fully judge Arteta. He appears to be the person picking the signings now (Mari, Luiz, Willian).

If he has expectations players will up and leave voluntarily he is dreaming, particularly if it means taking a pay cut. People would be silly to move for less money in the COVID world unless they really were at the start of their careers and wanted just game time.

If I was Özil there is no way in the world I would agree to a transfer to take less wages. And the same goes for Sokrates. Make it worthwhile with a large aftertax payment and I might think differently.

Hi Gaz,

It's not impossible to win the CL within a 3 year period, it is a cup competition after all and Liverpool won it when they were far from the best team in europe. Highly unlikely, but not impossible.

The biggest hurdle to get over is to actually quyalify for it. We are miles away from City and Liverpool which leaves us, realistically, with only two places to go for. Chelsea look to be strengthening big time and doubtless United will spend big this summer. It's going to be tough.

We have to sell the club to players with an ambitious project because we do not have the lure of CL football to entice them with. It appears we have done that with Gabriel, let's see who else we can get on board.

Fabrizio Romano (very accurate journalist) has said Gabriel to Arsenal is done. 30m euros including add ons and will be concluded on Monday. That doesn’t necessarily mean that’s when the club will announce it.

Incidentally, three years before Liverpool won the Champions League with Klopp they came off a season where they finished...8th. So it seems the stars are aligned! All kidding aside, it's obviously a monumental task. But it's not like Arteta has made a public statement about it, he's just trying to instill belief in a potential signing. If he doesn't believe we can win, then why should any player believe it?

With Chelsea, their transfers baffle me a little. Werner, Ziyeh and Havertz are all highly rated players, but they don't have a good keeper, their collection of central defenders are abysmal (much worse than ours) and Jorginho, Kante and Barkley are all rumoured to be leaving.

He refused to extend his contract en then choose to join Arsenal. Make of that what you will. I don't blame Arsenal, it's how big clubs operate.

I'm hoping the Gabriel deal being done is true. For me at least, the most important signing. The central defense is the one area that I personally considered the most urgent. I don't expect either him or Saliba to start obviously, but some time this year, I'd expect to see them pair up. Maybe in a cup game against a lower division side and then in weak opposition, but at some point this year. Ease them in, let them get mentored, adjusted and if things go according to plan, will be our preferred central defense at some point.

I assume the bookies have BM favored but all the best to PSG.

Back in the day we used to be seeded in pot 1 due to our UEFA coefficient. I am guessing that if we ever get back in we will be in a much lower pot and thus have a harder job.

I'd be surprised if Tottenham didn't have a higher coefficient rating than us. Definitely Liverpool, City, Chelsea, Man Utd..Tottenham and even Leicester maybe.

Stories we are trying to wrest Thiago from Liverpool. As if that's ever going to happen. Reporters must be bored and decided to write that after a pint too many at lunch.

Arsenal (11th) are ahead of both Tottenham (14th) and Chelsea (16th). Leicester are ranked at number 70.

C'mon Gabriel, sign already.

I forgot we had a Gabriel already. (I am not responsible for the music )

Supposedly a deal has been struck and Gabriel arrives tomorrow. I'll believe when it happens.

Leeds supposedly interested in Holding. He better not go too cheaply if he does.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8655887/Leeds-United-free-sign-Arsenal-defender-Rob-Holding.html

We’ve apparently poached a very highly rated set piece coach from Brentford. I like how Arteta is addressing our weak spots.

That is quite remarkable. I guess that the Europa League results are keeping us hanging in. Surprising that Chelsea aren’t higher than that.

I assume being out of Europe altogether for a season is a big hit to the coefficient.
It may be that making semi final and final of europa adds more to your coefficient that knocked out of the last 16 of the CL

Bayern Munich is probably one of my least favorite teams, but I'll always prefer them to the oil teams. Hope they win tonight.

Chances at both ends, two quality teams, compelling game. Paris have a mouth watering front three.

Jeez. That second half was dire stuff.

No surprise but I thoroughly enjoyed it dec. To be fair I thought Bayern deserved the win. It wasn’t the free scoring game some may have expected. But I genuinely feel Bayern deserved the win, and I think I’d have said that with no affinity to them.

Bayern took control in the second half and deserved their win. I thought the game was very promising for the first half an hour or so but after that it wasn't much of a spectacle.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football ... placement/

This would be great to see