Where Raphina plays has actually been a very recent angle to the debate. Was it yesterday? He’s a mobile player. Like Jesus. You are arguing because this claptrap all started after I agreed with you when you said it was unlikely we’d get Jesus. I cannot remember what the other debate was about, but this is the second time you have started an argument with me after I agreed with you. Absolutely incredible. I honestly believe you would argue with yourself if you could find no one else to argue with.

I’m not arguing about anything just pointing out he plays in a different position. The other posts were essentially agreeing with you! You’ve got yourself in a State again haven’t you.

The Raphina issue only began recently. He is a mobile player like Jesus. But that’s a side issue. I’m not getting in a state at all. However if the other posts you consider to be agreeing with me, I’m speechless.

If you think he’s solely a wide player, our current right sided wide player is Saka. So why are we even talking about Raphina? If we did by him I suspect it would be for a more central role.

Rapinha plays wide and Jesus plays centrally. You are wrong.

The other post was essentially agreeing with you that Nketiah and Jesus are similar types with slight differences. You interpret everything as some argument then get yourself worked up in a state about it. You have issues, I’ll go back to avoiding engaging you again

They are both mobile. Arsenal’s current right wide player is Saka. So if we recruited Raphina I’m sure it would be to play elsewhere.

Delighted to hear you’ll stop engaging with me. I won’t miss you.

Didn't Raphina play up front when in Portugal?

He’s a right winger that’s left footed. Can also play left.

If he came he’d be a replacement for Pépé surely.

You won’t reply but Pépé is not a first team regular. Raphina would surely cost a fortune so why would we spend that much to replace a reserve? Our right winger has been Saka, who in my view is better than Raphina. The logical assumption seems that if we do sign Raphina, he won’t be used as a right winger.

If Pépé goes we will be short. Rapinha covers both flanks and we need a big squad. I’m not sure I believe it anyway but it’s quite clear we wouldn’t be after him to replace Lacazette.

I’ll reply to this but no more other topics because you get yourself in a state.

I’m not in a state but Raphina is mobile enough to play up front, as he did in Portugal. A different type of player to Lacazette but so is Jesus.

You’ve got yourself in a state and worked up.

We are clearly after Jesus to play up front

...asks Freddy Adu

Hi Rich,

I agree.

Elite level strikers are in short supply and none of them are guaranteed to be a hit at Arsenal.

To bag an elite level striker against a background of no CL we would likely have to massively outbid our rivals and pay a bigger salary too.

It's a massive gamble because no one is guaranteed to be a success at Arsenal no matter how promising their CV.

We tried to steal a march on our rivals by going for Vhalovic in Jan, who incidentally has not hit the ground running at Juve. That shows you just how complicated the market for strikers is.

I watched Scammaca and Abraham in the England v Italy game and neither was a standout performer.

It is not fair to base an opinion on one game where neither had great service but I do wonder if it is far easier to score goals in Italy than in the PL, Lukaka suggests that might be the case.

Scammaca is a big lad with a neat and tidy touch, but is that enough to be a hit in the PL?

Haaland will be an interesting watch, a kid who looks mustard in Germany but can he cope with the pace and intensity of the PL. My guess is yes because he's quick and as strong as an ox but you just never know.

So you think we’ll spend £47m-£50m on Raphina, as a right wing reserve when Saka doesn’t play? That’s verging on idiocy. You might just as well keep Pépé as at least the transfer fee on him has already been spent.

By the way, for someone who said they weren’t going to correspond with me again, you now done two messages. Perhaps it’s you getting worked up as I never said I wouldn’t correspond with you.

You get worked up. You always think people are arguing with you even when they agree with you. Then you embarrass yourself by howling at the moon then it moves into phase 2 when you claim the sky is green not blue. It’s really really funny. I said I wouldn’t engage on any further topics not this.

Lukaku's problem is he is a bit flaky. I don't see any trace of that in Haaland. City are going to be unstoppable.

The thing is I don’t get worked up at all, about barely anything. But I’ve agreed with you twice recently and you’ve started arguments about it on both occasions and just you blatantly lying about it doesn’t wash with me. I agreed when you said it was unlikely we’d get Jesus. You somehow started a row about it by pretending it wasn’t clickbait which I suspect it might be. And so it goes on.

Your exact words were “I’ll reply to this but no more other topics because you get yourself in a state.” I took that to mean the post you were replying to. But if you meant the topic okay. That’s an incentive for me to not post about this topic as I have better things to do than waste my time on someone like you.

You interpret people making conversation as arguments. Says something about you or you have something wrong in your head. Then you have some kind of weird episode after. We always see this. Either way I’m out.

Paul Davis has an autobiography coming out. It won’t sell much but I’ll get a copy. He was one of my favourites

https://www.waterstones.com/book/arsena ... 1914197352

Bit weird the foreword is by Mikel. Someone he didn’t play with and Im not sure he’s met

Arsenal midfielder sends emotional goodbye after summer exit confirmed

Young midfielder Jordan McEneff has send an emotional goodbye message to Arsenal following contract expiry

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/ ... d-24205576

Dan Ballard is an interesting one. He’s the sort of player that (I assume) clearly won’t make it at Arsenal, and that’s maybe been clear for a couple of years. He had a good loan in league 1 and then last season a good loan in the championship, good enough to make him a full international for Northern Ireland. In past years we would keep loaning these sorts of players out until their contract ran out. Now we need to be picking up decent fees for them. Not sure how long is left on his contract but we should be trying to get £3-5m for him.

Good grief. Your hypocrisy is stunning. I have never had a weird episode. It’s you who have tantrums and I suspect could even need anger therapy from a mental health professional. Look at the non-offensive people here who have taken exception to your posts.

Anyway, glad to see you’re out. I’ll continue reading your posts and may comment on them when I think it’s warranted. But as you won’t reply to me anymore, that’s not an issue for you.

Eight makes a great headline. More clickbait.

Four out though. One of the ‘incoming’ is the reserve keeper that we’ve been hearing about.

I keep forgetting there’s a World Cup in November and December. Will there be a winter break in the Premier League while it’s on or will clubs have to play without those players away for it? The question shows how little notice I take of international football.

If there’s a winter break it’ll be a lot of games to cram into the rest of the season, assuming next season will start in August and end in May as normal.

Trust you to stick your oar in.

Does anyone understand the logic in playing 4 internationals post the end of a long hard season. Give the players a flipping rest!.

Signing Raphina to play as a CF would be thinking very much outside of the box, excuse the pun. He's a quality player but I think we are really looking for more of a traditional no.9. Raphina strikes me as a fast skilful winger who could play CF in an emergency rather than the solution to our issues but stranger things have happened.

Gabriel Jesus I suspect is a player Arteta really rates from his time at City and sees as a versatile wide forward rather than a winger type. Very good value at the reported £40-50m when compared to other players on the market. Maybe Arteta sees him as being able to play as a no.9.

I think we are struggling to find a traditional no.9 because of the inflated fees being asked for a fairly limited pool of players and our lack of CL football.

I have to say it’s pretty daft. That said it was a good cameo from Ramsdale the other night.

Bit weird watching soccer aid last night.

Arsene Wenger was the coach of the world 11 and spent most of the game talking tactics and consulting with Stringer Bell on the touchline. Not something you see every day.

Morning socrates. The thing is, if Raphina is seen as predominantly a right winger, he sure as hell isn’t going to replace Saka who is our current wide right attacking player. Will he replace Martinelli on the left? Maybe but unlikely I’d have thought, especially as that isn’t Raphina’s normal position and with Smith Rowe’s game time already dropping as Mertinelli’s main back up, it could drop even more. Playing him centrally is thinking outside the box but it’s hard to see Raphina being bought as a wide player for the reasons stated.

To be honest I would prefer a different type of player signed to Raphina. Darren thinks Jesus will be the only forward bought. If he’s right, and Jesus is the only new striker recruited will the options being Jesus, Nketiah and Balogun offer us sufficient variation? We toss loads of high crosses into the box and they routinely come to nothing. Will Jesus change that? I doubt it because as I pointed out to Rich, even Lacazette scored approaching 9.5% of his Premier League goals with his head. Will Jesus instead of Lacazette be an upgrade to that stat? Doubtful I’d say.

If OMOH looks in, it looks like we will see a five day test match taking up its full time allocation. The Trent Bridge pitch is presumably very difficult to bowl sides out on and at this point in time it seems unlikely that anything else will happen than a five day draw.

Morning Soc

As most people know, I do not give the arse of a rat about international football but even from my position of total disdain and disinterest, the general response to this current lacklustre "competition" seems to have plumbed new depths of apathy. 3 weeks after the season closed and half our players seem still to be playing in this competition that nobody has ever heard of. Beyond making money for UEFA, what is the bleeding point? Who exactly gives a *%^@?

Scullduggery?

Yes B, it is looking that way but given the capacity of Test teams to collapse I wouldn't rule out a result. If England have two more blinding sessions today, and they have to chase say 230 tomorrow, I am not sure who I would back. This link gives the stats on Test matches at Trent Bridge.

http://www.howstat.com/cricket/statisti ... ndCode=060

Totally agree - international matches, even "friendlies", once had a certain cachet - this competition is the definition of superfluity.

New Zealand got through the England tail quite quickly and England end 14 behind New Zealand’s first innings total. Nothing in it really although New Zealand have lost the first wicket of their second innings.

A draw looks the odds on favourite to me, as it would surely take an astonishing collapse in either team’s second innings to get any other result than a draw.

No Premier League on 14 Nov through to 25 December.

To you both