30 year old international keeper.

That’s ridiculous. He’s got to be worth 6-7 million in the current market surely.

Trouble is he's *%^@.

Bit of a stumbling block.

Literally (or is it figuratively?).

Fixtures out tomorrow. Always see some leaked first day fixtures, one from The Secret Footballer has us away to Palace on the first day

What games do you look for first? For me, I start with Tottenham and then Man Utd in the old days but these days Tottenham first, then Chelsea and Man Utd. City? Doesn't really matter. They are so much farther ahead of us, it doesn't matter.
I do look for what game we have preceding Tottenham, Chelsea and Man Utd. We always seem to catch Man Utd after a European match. Or so it seems.

I'm also getting a bit more optimistic about the season judging by who we are signing and heavily linked to. I hope I'm not setting myself up for disappointment.

Hit the nail on the head DHD. On the face of it I see Top Gun’s point. But as you imply, Ospina is utter garbage. I remember a friend of mine outside the forum once described him as ‘another Almunia in the making’. To me she just about summed him up.

I’d take Ospina over Almunia any day.

He’s just a 2nd keeper that’s all, actually he’s one of the better 2nd keepers we have had. Remember Rhys Wilmot

Not good enough to play regularly for a side like ours but reasonable back up.

Not when our second keepers are first choice for three cup competitions, which are the only three competitions we’ll have any chance of winning next season. Wilmot wasn’t first choice for anything. Get rid of Ospina, he’s rubbish.

Well that’s just a stupid decision and rule we make

Rotate a bit but my goodness you shouldnt change your defenders or keepers for key games

Stupid decision or not it’s what Arsenal do, and have done for some years now. It’ll mean Ospina being in goal for the only competitions we have a realistic chance of winning. I don’t want that because he’s not good enough. My vote is get rid of him.

That’s my attitude. Get rid of him. It’s noticeable Napoli dropped him to stop him reaching the number of appearances that would have compelled them to buy him (I thought someone said words to that effect earlier). So they can’t rate him that highly.

Anyone thinking of buying a pair or would wear it?

By all means get rid but Personally I’d try Martinez for a season.

We will end up paying a lot more than 2.5 million for a reserve keeper Ospina will leave for and we are desperate for more outfield players.

Papers speculating this morning saying Torreira wants to leave as he hasn’t settled in England, he strikes me as a Reyes type player who won’t hang around a lot but I hope he stays

Yep these bad boys will have the hot chicks hovering around you like flies to manure

I'd play the second GK for the league cup and FA cup if we draw an 'easy team' and for the Europa group stages. For all other games get Leno in. Not that Čech let us down in the Europa but Kepa played for Chelsea in the final and we don't have a 2nd choice GK as good as Čech this year (or it would be silly to waste some of our small budget trying to buy a back up GK as good as Čech). Given how many positions we need to buy for a back-up GK may have to be the position where we rely on Martinez and keep our fingers crossed Leno stays fit all season. He has a higher probability of doing that than any other outfield player

A few teams sniffing around Lovren - Liverpool immediately put a £25m asking price on him. he's 29 and has been ok but makes errors. We sold Gabriel for £10m.

VAR is going to have a massive affect on the number of penalties given in the prem next year. We are awful at giving away penalties, I'm sure we've had the league highest total for the last 3 years. Mustaif, Sokratis, Xhaka, AMN all prone to rash challenges in the box. We need to sort this out n ext year or I can see us conceding 10+ penalties for the season.

Maybe, just maybe Lacazette with the help of VAR might actually start getting some penalties, he must have been fouled in the box 8-10 times last year with nothing given.

We need to be streetwise and totally play the system, get in the box more, dribble at people, chip the ball at any outstretched hand. Play for the opportunity of everything having to go to VAR

I see talk of us selling Cahmbers for £12m.

Now, I accept he's no Kante but by all accounts he was one of the better defensive midfielders in the PL last season and he's also young and english. Surely there must be mid to lower PL sides who would pay £15m+ for him?

We are being linked with a lot of young and quite exciting talents, which is great, but you do feel we need to get deals done and dusted before the monied clubs arrive on the scene. Or are we simply going to wait until everyone else has done their business and pick the bones out of what is left?

They are hideous enough already even without the added wheel under the heel

I am finding it hard to get interested in all the transfer rumours. It feels as if our stock has fallen to such an extent where for the first time (for me anyway) we just feel like an unambitious Europa League club with a proud history. Without a change of owner who actively plans and invests in Arsenal so we can challenge Europe's elite, we are reliant on finding a manager who can perform minor miracles.

Bernard: What was the atmosphere like in the Arsenal section in Baku?

Surprised you didn’t add Holding to your list. Didn’t he concede penalties against Palace and Tottenham last season?

Not that good and I’d say the same about the Chelsea section. But once we conceded the atmosphere practically became non-existent in our section and picked up in their’s.

Fixtures are out.

Away to Newcastle on 11th August - that's a Sunday. Anyone know why?

Then Burnley home, Liverpool away, Spurs home.

https://www.arsenal.com/news/well-visit-newcastle-opening-day

Is it live on telly?

TV fixtures haven't been announced yet, as far as I know.

Oh god yeah I forgot.

Can you imagine the diving and cheating that’s going to happen.

I do wonder if next season will be the one that kills the acceptance of VAR. everyone’s going to hate the arguments it creates

I feel the same.

The only players we are getting linked with that really excite are Tierney and Ismailia Sarr who are both 21 have long futures in the game.

Getting linked to 26 year olds who play for Fiorentina and in China I’m not sure is the answer.

So we could realistically have a DWLD and be 7 points behind the leader after 4 matches. Or 4 straight Wins and lead the table with a few hard games played already.

I always look at the last 4 or 5 matches and its not an easy run in to the end of the season. If we are on the cusp again its going to be very tough.

yes

https://www.football365.com/news/liverp ... fee-report

If Fekir is available for 15m euros then about 20 teams are going to be in for him, soon enough the fee will rise to well over £30m probably closer to £40-50m. I just cant see how Liverpool would get a free run at him for £15m

True - I think his long absence made me forget him. At least we have a GK who doesn't come rushing and sliding out at every opportunity. It seems like Szczesny and Almunia were giving away pens every week with their style of keeping!

Hopefully not an unfinished work...

I trout that.

Wonder what happens with Bielik this summer. He’s basically said he’s not going to play U23 football next year, and not should he.
He’s got the Euro U21 championships for Poland this summer so there won’t be a big opportunity to show Emery what he can do.
My feeling is if Arsenal are being as ruthless as they say then he’ll be sold this summer. He spent a successful season on loan to Charlton in league 1, it’s a big step from that to Arsenal.

I coached my son's team for the last few years (he's 14). It's a big problem in the game. Some people behave ina totally inappropriate manner. Equally childish and aggressive. Very disappointing that it would be the case at Arsenal.

wasn't he hailed initially as the Polish Vieira? The initial video I saw of him said there was some promise in him. I can only see our first team matches and not being locally I can't see the reserve matches so have no idea how well or badly he did. It didn't appear he did well because he was moved from midfield to defense I think or so I thought I read, maybe I got it wrong, this was a few years ago.