Oh I hope so
The toilet bowl

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.6043518 ... a=!3m1!1e3

Hope the link works

https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2023/may/23/perhaps-one-day-this-whole-age-of-football-will-require-an-asterisk-manchester-city-premier-league-title

‘ The regimes that fund City, Newcastle, Paris Saint‑Germain and perhaps Manchester United next are autocracies who believe less in the rule of law than the rule of getting whatever they want.’

That's a good article. It is sad but true that cheating is absolutely endemic in football.

I see Neville was spoofing on Sky again last night. When the presenter said that Newcastle's owners were wealthier than City's so they could feasibly buy anyone, Neville disagreed on the grounds that there are rules to prevent that. It is as if the City breach allegations don't exist.

A growing narrative is this years City are the best ever EPL side. This will become more vocal if/when they win the treble. Even if they aren't deemed the best EPL side ever, they'll be discussed as no worse than the top 2 or 3.
So, losing a title to a side that acclaimed is bottling it?

My big disappointment is when the various podcasts, and sports pundit programs at Sky Sports, ESPN, etc, discuss the clubs and so forth, they conveniently leave out the role money played in their success. Even in the transfer window, you'll see headlines of some club has put a 70 mil or whatever price tag on a player that is worth maybe 40 or 50 mil and that 'City' or 'PSG' , clubs with owners with seemingly limitless funds (I'll leave Man Utd off that even though they spend like it) must come up with 70 mil if they want it and truth is they'd come up with 700 million pounds if they felt they needed to.

Incidentally, when we were top of the table, there were media pundits everywhere telling us that Arsenal's success was due to our freakish good luck with injuries.

Manchester City, 23 May. Injuries 1:
Nathan Ake. 'He's getting better. He's at the latter stage. We have to be careful after being injured for the second time in case we need him for United or Inter.'

Crippling.

Not seen it mentioned yet but Saka has officially signed his new contract until 2027. He would have only had 12 months left on his deal this summer so it’s a big one.

We desperately need Saliba to sign next

Saka will have played a part in every league game for 2 years straight. We have to find a way to give this guy a rest next year. We need another wide right attacker

So where are our priorities then for the summer?

So if you assume that we will sell Xhaka, Mari and Tierney for 50 million that’s being highly mooted, nelson and AMN both go on frees and that we aren’t interested in strikers like Ornstein says and we get say..

Declan Rice 100m ( I’m not sure even that would do it, West Ham want 120)
Wide right 60 million ?
Caicedo/mount/other 60M ?

170 million before you realise you are short a left back, probably need cover at right back and you are still unlikely to win a title with gabby Jesus as you striker. You could possibly sell Emile Smith Rowe who would fetch 30 odd million surely but then you are short in midfield. Sell Pépé and maybe balogun to fund the left back.

We need state ownership at Arsenal. China please, or Elon to turn up

Rich

Just read on Newsnow the Irish Times are reporting that Saka has signed and they provide a couple of quotes from Saka which presumably are meant to convince people he has signed but lMO just imply that he has. Anyhow I still take it as an encouraging sign.

No he’s literally signed it’s on Arsenal .com

https://www.arsenal.com/news/bukayo-sak ... w-contract

Includes a video saying “I’ve signed’.

Could be a dark web fake !

I hope the Declan Rice transfer doesn’t turn in to a saga. If it’s sub £100m I can see us doing it, but at £120m I can’t see it happening when we could get Caicedo and Zubimendi combined for a similar fee.

I think we’ll do our business and most fans will feel we’re 1 or 2 players short - but then every team will feel that way. I can bet even City fans are looking at their squad and saying they need more full back cover and central midfield cover.

I think it’s going to be very, very difficult for us to replicate what we’ve done this season next season. We certainly had an element of surprise for the first half of the season.
Can we challenge for the title? I’m not sure. I think securing a top 4 finish will still be tough in itself. I’d like to see more quality and depth added so we can take all the cups seriously, some easy home draws would be nice as well like Man U have had all season!

The Mudryk bids were interesting. We clearly had £70m odd ready to drop on a wide player, we then moved to £70m for Caicedo. Eventually that £70m was spent on 3 players.

With the squad how it is with no significant outgoings I think we need 4 players:
2 centre mids, 1 right sided defender and 1 striker/wide right forward

If we lose anyone from the typical match day squad (Tierney, Xhaka, Emile Smith Rowe) then there is potential that we need more players than those 4

Thing is those 4 players will probably cost you 250 million. I can’t see us doing that without selling our players you mentioned.

I suppose we might be able to recoup funds by offloading players who didn’t really contribute to the first team last year. Maybe somehow get 50 odd million selling balogun, Pépé, Mari and Patino but it’s going to be tough

If you want to know why the links are so strong with us and Rice the clues are in what he’s said previously. He lives in Kingston upon Thames which is a pretty decent area and West Ham train in Romford. He has said he doesn’t want to move away from Kingston so that means possibly around 4 hours in a motor each day. (Must be a nightmare run) Probably minimum then chuck in the fact he’s just had a baby and his birds from Kingston too and Arsenal is the most logical suitor by far with a squad full of international team mates.

Doesn’t stop City or united offering a kings ransom and blowing us out the water but seems to be a factor that is generating the links.

Signed all in pearly whites.

Yes, that list of 4 is based on getting some money in for players who didn't really contribute this year - just the 4 you've mentioned should get us to £50m. There is no reason we shouldn't be getting under £35m for Balogun. Mari has already generated £6m. Leno triggered a £2m payment....there is also tavares, Holding, Trusty - even Mavropanos might trigger a sell on fee if he moves this summer

Rice and Caicedo might cost £200m. But Zubamendi and Gundogan would cost £50m. Diaby is £60m, Asensio is £0. I'm definitely not saying sign the cheaper guy as I think the time is now to push for our No.1 option but we can still be smart. I think there would be some great defenders out there for sub £30m - we've already got 4-5 of them in the squad

Chelsea value Mason Mount at £85m with just 12 months left on his deal. He’s not worth any more than half that right now

I’d say if Fabio vieira is worth 30 then Mount must be a solid 60 million and Chelsea will get it. Feels like one of those deals that will go to the last minute of the window as you will have a reluctant seller playing hardball

Ornstein is saying Mount wants to go to united.

Why on earth I don’t know

RIP Tina Turner
83 years old
Terrific singer

Good Jordan quote from Rodney Marsh..."If Simon Jordan was a bar of chocolate, he would eat himself"

Hope we secure Saliba on a long term contract soon. Highest priority IMO.

Decent article on our manager here

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65646318

Lots of words like “ hypothesis“ so probably not for gaz and Chris

I get these random videos on my feed that I often click on if they seem interesting. This one was interesting. He's from Bermuda and I went there on holiday once with my mom when I was 9. Never heard of Clyde Best. George Best certainly but not Clyde. His accent seems a bit strange. I expected a strong British accent but its not.

With more years on his contract I’d agree, £60m would be fair. But in 12 months he walks for free if he wishes. You could probably pick him up in January for £20m.

I like him but don’t think he’s the right player for us to replace Xhaka. I don’t think the balance would be right with him and Ødegaard as attacking 8’s. The Xhaka replacement is a very specific type of player in my opinion. They have to be perfect in their passing, able to dictate the play, be totally press resistant, defensively aware and have an ability to ghost in to the box. Gundogan is a good mould. Declan Rice could be another even though he’s more use to playing a bit deeper

Unless someone like Newcastle, unlimited funds so anyone is affordable but can't get the very top players to come, no one else is paying that.

I wanted Brighton to win mainly so that City doesn't extend its unbeaten streak as well as string of wins. I am 50/50 on if they can go 50 unbeaten. The EPL is getting much stronger in the top half. All the contenders are up mentally and physically up for an away match to each other's pitch.

However, Newcastle, Brighton, Brentford, among others can catch you unawares. I don't see them going the season unbeaten for the time being. But it won't shock too many people if they went 40 or more unbeaten.

The best signing we could make this summer would be Brighton's scouting network and recruitment team.

Wow, do they find some players.

Regarding the summer window, I repost what I said on the 14th May:


Is Gabi Jesus the no.9 you need if you want to win big trophies?

Is Ben White the RB you need if you want to win big trophies?

Is Zinchenko the LB you need if you want to win big trophies?

Is Xhaka the no.8 you need if you want to win big trophies?

Are Partey or Jorginho the right midfielders if you want to win big trophies?


Undoubtedly, all the above players have had very good seasons but are they really elite?


It looks like Xhaka is going and, by all accounts, Arteta is planning to buy a RB and move White back to being a CB option and RB cover.

It is also suggested that Partey may leave, especially if we bring in two young, hungry CMs.

Is Zinchenko the answer as an inverted LB, or do you really need an inverted left back who is able to defend? A LB who can't defend is a massive liability even if you have elite CBs covering for him.

I think Guardiola was quoted as saying that one thing this season has taught him is that you have to have proper defenders to deal with elite attackers like Saka, Salah etc.

So, do we need a LB who can move comfortably into midfield or is a midfielder who can operate at LB enough?

The biggest conundrum for me is Gabby J, can we realistically win a big trophy with him as the CF. As brilliant as he is technically he's not an elite level finisher or a natural predator and spends lots of time out of the box which puts an immense burden on the widemen to get goals.

Yesterday I thought Brighton's pressing was brilliant and City struggled to play out from the back in their usual comfortable manner but what they did have was the option to go long with balls either up to Haaland or over the Brighton defence four for Haaland to chase.

Well I always said you would never win a league title with xhaka in central midfield. I was wrong. He’s far from a dominant world class centre midfielder but our season which was almost perfect was derailed by injuries in defence, loss of form for our key wide player and lack of quality in depth in my opinion.

The only point I would really suggest warrants any discussion is that is Gabby Jesus the striker that would win you a league title. He’s an absolute wild card. Without an obvious quality alternative I would say it would and will be difficult. Not impossible but difficult but to say Partey isn’t the player we need when he was absolutely bossing midfields at emirates this year is ridiculous. I also find the suggestions he should be sold bizarre and surely it would only be contemplated if a serious acquisition is coming in.

So no we don’t need to chuck our toys out the pram quite yet

Partey was brilliant for 3/4 of the season but inexplicably shite during the run-in, resulting in Arteta effectively dropping him. It looked like his head and his legs had gone. Plus, he's 30 in June, always seems on the edge of another injury and has personal issues to contend with.

City have modified their system so that they don't have fullbacks who are effectively midfielders playing at being a fullback and its worked a treat. They are now much more defensively stable.

It seems Arteta is looking to move Ben White back to his more natural position at CB, Partey is apparently available at the right price (if we are able to bring our targets in) and we are letting Xhaka go so it seems my thinking is not too far off Arteta's.

What do we do at LB if Tierney goes (do we bring in a first choice type or a CB who can play LB) and do we have the finances to bring in an explosive winger or more pressingly an out-and-out no.9?

A NO from me. Misses too many chances and also spends too much time doing jobs others should be doing. I have often seen back tackling the opposing winger deep in our half. One can commend such a great workout and defensive discipline but it means he's often in the wrong part of the pitch when we counter. I may be old fashioned but I'd like my number 9 to be an out and out predator.

I think you will see a right back come in who has experience of covering the left flank. Plus Tommy when he’s back. Or retention of Tavares for a season to see how he pans out.

Trust me Partey is going absolutely nowhere until early July and possibly after that. I think the attitude to his loss of form is interesting compared to Bukayos. 2 mistakes in that period from both players if you include sakas missed penalty and saka is kept in the side is partey is removed. Not sure there would be many advocates of selling star boy.

Arsenal have had a £14.7M bid for RB Sacha Boey turned down. Galatasaray, according to reports from Turkey, are holding out for a fee of £21.7M, so won't let the player leave for less.

Don't get too invested in the Declan Rice rumours.

It has all the hallmarks of the Mudryk rumours when the media were declaring us favourites for his signature.

I suspect Rice will eventually go for £120m and it won't be to us.

Happy St Michael’s Day everyone.

New kit released. Rather nice I have to say.

https://www.arsenal.com/news/introducin ... s-home-kit


Also apparently Reiss Nelson has signed a new contract

Why stop there you aging old poofter ... sign the whole team and their manager .

I watched them v Citee their style of play is so refreshing .

Being the cheerful little doom and gloom merchant I am , given our results of late I've got serious doubts as to whether we can replicate this years success next year .

I understand why people are saying this but can’t help feel it does a real disservice to what the team achieved this season.

We utterly bashed spurs home and away this season, did Liverpool at home and really should have done them away too. Was unlucky at old Trafford and smashed united home. Really should have beaten Newcastle home and did them away.

Honestly this season we were quite rightly the 2nd best team in the premier league and we won’t be offloading our star players this summer (except maybe saliba). We shouldn’t be viewing next season with any trepidation at all really and I have a feeling that after this summers transfer business there will be some renewed optimism.