Just as important, if not more so, as who finished second are the clubs that were starved of success due to the rampant inflation city’s mad spending in the transfer market caused.

Yeah. It messes up the whole sport, not just who wins.

I would keep all three ....in my opinion you can never have enough strikers. They are a rare and special breed. We do not know how strong Jesus will come back, nor can we predict injuries, suspensions etc. next year. Hopefully we play 60 plus games next season....if so we need all the firepower we can get.

Absolutely.

Also please remember what happened to Sheffield united when they won 30 million in compensation from West Ham when they breached FA rules for mascherano and tevez. The premier league balls up the decision to not deduct points at the time from West Ham but city could face an untold amount of claims for compensation from other clubs,

Honestly if found guilty I think you may not see a points deduction but they could even just drop them a couple of divisions. This isn’t a small thing it spanned over 8 years.

Evening Andy
Hope you are keeping well.
If we play more than 60 games then could be a successful season!
I'd love to keep all 3 as well.
Jesus can also play off the wing as well.
Could be a straight fight between Eddie and Balogun to be the next in the pecking order.
Will be interesting that's for sure.

https://twitter.com/viparsenal/status/1 ... SxGndEIHHA

Martinez knows exactly what he’s doing here. Your foot just doesn’t do that the way he falls, and if it’s a genuine accident your natural reaction would be to hold a hand up to show you didn’t mean it. That is a cheap shot and for my money could easily be a straight red

I saw it live and I thought it was snidey and nasty
Don’t understand why VAR didn’t pick up on it … red for me
Nasty piece of work …
And as I type those scummy Utd equalize

Hi Soc,

I really don't know what will happen. I'm just guessing that a 20 - 30 point deduction is the most likely if it is to be a deduction. 5 to 10 seems pointless and I'm not sure they will look to go so far as relegation.

Man U drop 2 points at home to Leeds. We’re 7 points in front with 2 games in hand

He’s a Man U player and is a protected species.

Hi David, Balogun signed a long-term contract in 2021, which various sources said was a four-year deal. So, it looks as if he's got 2½ years left on his current contract.

This will be a bellwether test if FFP will be enforced in the future.

Between Eddie & Balogun, I would keep Balogun

If for whatever reason the club decide it is an Eddie v Balogun decision then first of all they need to see what Balogun can do in the premier league! He’s done brilliantly in France but it means little if he can’t do it in the Prem.

If it works out I’d love to get him to sign a new long term deal and give him a loan to a Prem side next season.

I’m not sure you can keep 3 strikers happy unless they are able to play together in matches. Arteta rarely used a front 2 so it means them being able to play wide as well. I’m not convinced Nketiah and Balogun can, Jesus can play wide right so it may be an option

I'd love for us to have at least big man option at striker. I know its not necessarily the way Arteta wants to play but a Rashford type, poor man's Haaland or the like. At least as an option, not to build an attack around. In some games, especially late, I'd like to us at least have that option when I see some sizeable opposition central defenders who can muscle our players out of the way.

Is this real?

Not really buying it but hoping every little bit helps us win.

Here was me thinking Man U dropped 2 points at home to a relegation threatened team.

No team plays the same level in every match but Man Utd seems to vary to extremes. They played us at home very tough. They beat City at home. The Man Utd I saw in both matches looked good enough to challenge for a title. Yet, they go 2 nil down at home to Leeds. A club that, although not to their prior level of the late 90s, early 00s or early '70s, is still a big game for them in terms of traditional rivals.

They lack consistency, a lot of it. They have had to get late equalizers or winners against too many mediocre sides.

Media BS because Man Utd is a nationally (and internationally) followed club. Trying to convince people there are in it is good for the media if anyone buys it...and even Man Utd fans probably not unless they are just completely out of it mentally.

Gary Neville is at it again. After predicting we’d finish outside the top 4, that Zinchenko isn’t a leader, that he couldn’t see the direction and strategy Arsenal we’re applying in our transfers and even just a few weeks ago confidently saying Man U will finish above Arsenal…..now he’s saying if Arsenal win the league it will only be because it’s a poor City team. He said if City were really on it then we’d have no chance.

Well if you take the best ever City team and best team the prem has ever seen they got 100 points in the season. We got 50 at half way! There’s no logic in his arguments

The other thing that irritates with Neville right now is he just moves the goal-posts. If we don't win the league this season - which is still 50/50 for me and the bookies then Neville will just say he was right. No you weren't, you predicted Arsenal to be 5th at best and at no point in this season di you look at the new evidence and admit you were wrong.

Compared to Carragher Neville is miles behind as a pundit right now

2012 season ending...surreal. Weren't we 3rd that season?

Great!

I think this squad will play better hearing pundits doubt them .

I fancy that if Manure were in the running he wouldn't reel that one out! Also, if City are 'poor' what does that make united?

He has a very minor point, in that we probably would have struggled if City had been in peak form. But by that logic, United wouldn't have won all those titles under SAF if City had been as good back then. Their best ever seasons would have been topped by City's best 3 or 4!

We (and United) are playing in a league with 2022/23 Man City, not 2021/22 Man City and not 1999/2000 Man City!

I see that City have drifted to 7/4 and we are now odds on. Interesting that, after we both lost. And it isn't because of the FFP issues.

Who is responsible for the Arsenal player ratings on the latest FIFA 23

Seriously did Teddy Sheringham grade it.

Martinelli 78. A hot prospect anyone in Europe would take.

Saka 84. The best young wide player in world football right now.

Partey 84 I mean wtf who writes this

Pep is going to make a *%^@ out of himself about this premier league enquiry isn’t he. He’s already talking nonsense.

All these arseholes care about is money and they are happy to sacrifice their reputation too. Everyone knows what city did

It will be interesting how we respond after both losses. We lost to both City and Everton. Any loss at this point with such a young squad is definitive. They've done brilliantly so far. Played well older than their ages would suggest.

Brentford will not be pushovers. I think we'll come out strong but it remains to be seen. No loss is welcome but the Everton loss may actually turn out to help us in the run in. The squad has learned you must take each league game seriously and nothing for granted. We haven't been this good for a while, so all clubs, although I am sure respect our current form, feel we can be picked off at any time.

Keep, bench or sell?

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6Vw6z4oDRfM

All is not well in that squad, my worry is these FFP allegations could be used by them to form a siege mentality but at the moment I haven’t seen that togetherness

Back at emirates today.

Massive week for us. 4 points from the next 2 would be wonderful, 6 and it’s on.

Think we will turn them over today

Arteta has some big decisions to make in the evolution of this team.

White and Martinelli have been a bit poor lately (Martinelli not helped by the lack of a conventional LB) so does he keep the faith and hope they can play their way back into form or does he bring in Tomiyasu and Trossard?.

City have allegedly committed all these rule breaks over the last decade and should be punished accordingly if proven.

Does make me wonder how many other clubs may have broken the rules. I mean we've spent a surprisingly large amount in recent seasons, as have the likes of Chelsea, Everton and Forest even.

Just thinking out loud.

What I don’t understand is how chelsea were able to avoid penalties with abramovich writing off 1.5 billion in debt.

Surely at that point it’s obvious financial doping took place. I guess it’s connected with the sale of the club but still the premier league should have swooped in.

I think there’s a chance he could bring Tommy back into the fold. Not sure he will start Trossard today. Would be a major call to drop martinelli

For a while FFP seemed like a rule without teeth. Sort of like jaywalking in Manhattan. Technically illegal but never enforced.

So, with that in mind, I imagine other clubs broke the FFP rules thinking it wasn't going to be enforced. City knew about this for a while but may have thought a fine, slap on the wrist and possibly a finger wagging.

Remains to be seen if the penalty will fit the crime. I'm not optimistic. Whatever it is, I think the City fans will think its too much ("everyone does it") and the fans of the top 6 clubs at least will think its not enough, up to and including point deduction.

Three cup finals in eight days. There could be some rotation.

No rotation today. 1st XI start.

Shows what I know Brom!