Seems like arsenal are cancelling Mkhitaryan’s contract and letting him go for free. Saves his £10m a year wages but Roma offered us £10m for him as a transfer fee inJanuary that we turned down because we thought he was worth more! On the basis that there couldn’t be any more offers until the summer window why did Arsenal think his value would go up when he only had a year left on a very high contract. We should have snapped Roma’s hand off in jan, just like we should have snapped City’s hand off when they offered us £60m for Sanchez.

Having just posted, the Daily Mail decided to wind me up to a level of inappropriate language for the house with this article.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... ummer.html

St Ettiene are having a pop at us this morning because they deem the terms we set out for allowing the extension of Saliba's loan back to them until to them until the end of the season as unacceptable.

Apparently it is over a £2.5m fee we agreed to pay them if Saliba played 17 games this season, a reasonable incentive to ensure St Ettiene played him whilst on loan. The Cup final would have been the 17th game so Arsenal don't want to allow him to extend his loan AND pay them a fee for the pleasure! Exactly right. Feel Sorry for Saliba but why should we fork out for our own player. Every other team re-negotiated the terms on any loan extension why should we lose £2.5m just to do another club a favour!?

But at his press conference yesterday didn't Arteta say Arsenal are happy for him to play the Cup Final?

I hope this is not true. But it sounds like us.

He did, but I assume he was just talking on the basis that Arsenal can't use him so why not extend the loan. The money side of things adds complexity

Man U look like like picking up a head of steam, I can see them getting top 4 at this rate, even ousting Chelsea.
Greenwood looks like some player at only 18. Along with Rashford and Martial they have that dynamic front 3 that most top clubs are striving for. All quick, mobile, can dribble, score and assist and are all comfortable in any of the front 3 positions.
Liverpool's 3 do this, and before there was the famous Messi/Suarez/Neymar at Barca - or evn before that was Rooney/Ronaldo/Tevez at Man U. I'm convinced this is the way we should be building our attack. Martinelli fits this mould perfectly. Pépé to some extent.

These wide players who can drift centrally and still score 15 and assists 15 a season are gold dust right now. Jadon Sancho being one of the best right now and certainly finding his way back to the prem for big money soon

https://www.arsenal.com/news/bukayo-sak ... m-contract
Bukayo Saka signs new long term contract! Fantastic news, incredible prospect

Seen rumours of Arsenal wanting Memphis Depay if Aubamayang or Lacazette leave. I don't remember him as a striker, but know he's played a lot better for Lyon than he ever did for Man U, still only 26, 19, 10 and 9 goals in his last 3 seasons (9 goals being the current curtailed french season) and only 1 year left on his current deal.

I wonder what other players are out there with only 1 year left on their deal? Must be plenty who would be available at a better price. We've got some of our own!

RB Salzburg forward He-Chan Hwang looks like moving to RB Leipzig to replace Timo Werner for only about £10m. Really liked the look of Hwang when he played the two games against Liverpool in the champions league this season. 11 goals and 21 assists for them this season. He could be one who is worth triple that in a couple of seasons

Dominik Szoboszlai is another at RB Salzburg who is a very good young player. Creative midfielder.

Leno, Saliba, Tierney, Saka, Martinelli, Pépé. 6 players with long term contracts, all young (or young for a GK in Leno's case) now is the time to build the team around them and build a team to their strengths.

Great news.

Great news Rich.
The names you mentioned needed to be signed.

Truly wonderful news. A bit unexpected to be honest, and all the more pleasurable for it.

Perhaps we can build a team of young motivated players?

St.Ettiene shooting themselves in the foot there. They clearly want the money more than they want Saliba to play. Which is fair enough I suppose, but also, do one.

Did not expect that. I wonder how big that will be! Like the statement of signing Özil but with an actual player at the end of it!

If you could sell two players to make funds available, because I’m convinced thats the only way we’re making any signings other than free’s and loans, who would you let go?

Mine would be Lacazette and (look away Bern) Guendouzi. Two players who would bring in decent fees and I think have played out their time here.

Soares on the bench. Hope he gets a run out. Nelson, Lacazette, Aubameyang up front. Must be a few goals in there..................

Shout out to Mustafi who is on an excellent run. The boss has definitely improved him and sorted out his head.....................

Win and we go 7th a point above Spurs.

Martinez
Bellerin Mustafi Luiz Kolasinac
Xhaka Ceballos Tierney Nelson
Lacazette Aubameyang (c)

Neither Özil nor Guendouzi on the bench

Sheeesh! Hell of a strike from their defender. Happy to see that hit the post and stay out.

Maybe its the quality (or lack thereof) of the opposition but the passing and spacing is much better.

Ceballos looking sharp with some clever and incisive passing in areas that matter.

How do you feel about this water break thing?

Not bothered either way

We keep knocking on the door. Better finishing needed

Ah. Another present

Deja vu

Wow. Great move. Great goal.

Tierney exploiting space consistently.

Wengerball at its finest

Things looking a bit brighter overall than they did a few weeks ago. Third win in a row coming up (touch wood), and Saka signed up.

Looks like they found the Ramsey purple patch juice down the back of the London Colney sofa and dosed everyone at the club!

I know it’s Norwich but we look really good. Difficult to fault anything about that first half performance. Second goal was an absolute cracker.

We’ve been under the cosh ever since you posted that.

No relaxing here that’s for sure.

Ye, I'm blaming you too Brom, shocking behaviour.

Calm down chaps, no worries! *prays quietly*

Too many memories of horror shows from 2 goal leads (or 4 in the case of Newcastle)

VAR in our favour again. We’re on a roll.

It’s going to be a long 30 minutes if we don’t resume control. We’re all over the place.

Awful from Cantwell. Initiated contact, dive then complain and appeal loudly and accusingly to the ref. Desperate stuff.

Aubameyang! Another gift