If there’s one thing that is sure to brighten up a day, it is a shiny new signing, so today we’re hoping there’s one to speak of and I suspect there will be.
Apparently Odegaard had his medical yesterday and after that happens there’s usually some pictures and a video made up, so I wonder if we’ll get something today. And with Ramsdale’s fee also agreed – even the Sheffield United boss Jokanovic confirmed it yesterday in his post-match press conference – I suspect Ramsdale might come either tomorrow or Saturday.
If both are registered before the deadline for this weekend, you’d expect them both to be part of the squad, so I think that is 12pm on Friday. The paperwork can be done and no official announcement though, so just because we haven’t heard anything, doesn’t mean it hasn’t been done. It just means that the club hasn’t polished it’s PR launch plan. I expect both will be done by the sounds of it and that will be a boost before the game against Chelski on Sunday.
Because let’s face it, everyone associated with the club needed a boost after the last six days. A poor and insipid performance against Brentford, questions about players and their mentality, the lack of creativity and familiar problems in the final third; all of this was adding up and making it a depressing time to be an Arsenal fan. And yes, I appreciate that the next two games could – and probably will – bring us back down to earth with a bump, but at least potentially today we can have that little bit of joys in between storms that you sometimes get when the sun comes out and shines.
I do find the media narrative amazing though. Yesterday there was much chatter on TalkSh*te Radio, for example, about how the signings aren’t that inspiring and that we’ve spent a fortune on players that won’t improve us. That we’ve spent a fortune and that possibly hasn’t been well spent.
I’m sorry, wha…….what? Arsenal, who will have spent £125million on players when these deals go through, have spent big, whilst there is little mention of other teams? Lukaku has just cost £100million and Chelski sold him for £28million. United have bought two players for around the £115million mark. Man City dropped a ton on Grealish when they didn’t really need him. Yet it’s ARSENAL who are spending big?
And on players who will not improve them? Eh? We’ve resigned Odegaard who showed us what a good player he could be. We’ve upgraded on Luiz with Ben White. We’ve upgraded Ceballos for Lokonga. We’ve upgraded Kolasinac for Tavares, then when confirmed we’ll have upgraded Runarsson for Ramsdale. I still remain skeptical about Ramsdale, but it’s an upgrade and hopefully pushes more competition and Leno in to upping his game.
“Yeah, but these are squad players. The one’s for other teams will walk straight in to their side”. Indeed they might. But I don’t think Grealish is starting every week as a £100million player probably should. Sancho probably will but he was benched at the weekend. Varane most certainly will, displacing £31million Lindelof, or even £34million Bailly. Interesting that nobody is talking about that outlay by United there….
Then there are people talking about how the fee is too much. You mean like the £30million Villa paid for Bailey? Oh no, of course, that is a SUPER deal for a player who has never played in the Premier League. Or £38million for Buendia, who has played and impressed in the Premier League, but only in a short period of time for Norwich. OR Danny Ings, who is 29-years old, has a history of injury problems and last season missed 61 days, seven matches and two months of a nine month season. For some more context he also missed the whole of the 2019/20 season and 101 days of the 18/19 season.
No, they’re right, Arsenal have DEFINITELY over-paid for the Captain of Norway, who impressed when not injured last season, when he didn’t think he had a long-term future at Arsenal anyway, as well as adapting to a new league. Yeah, sure, Arsenal are DEFINITELY in the wrong compared to all of these other clubs. And people say there isn’t a media narrative around The Arsenal. There is. But not because it’s Arsenal, but because Arsenal is a big club in trouble and on its knees at the moment. In the UK we love an underdog and love to see a big player/team bought down a peg or two, especially in football culture. It’s why the FA Cup gets romanticised so much. It also gives the media more clicks, ears and eyeballs if they’re stirring the pot a bit. So you’ll never hear about Villa’s spending spree, or other clubs of that ilk, because they don’t make for as much ad revenue. And people are so desensitised to the financially doped clubs that they can drop over-inflated prices on players and nobody bats an eyelid. But Arsenal are the prime target to beat right now and that’s why we’re seeing what we’re seeing.
Meh. I stopped giving most of those media outlets any time years ago. I find out about what they’ve said on Twitter and it ensures they don’t get my advertising clicks. But what I do care about is on the pitch and my hope with this imminent arrival is that it lifts the club a bit. We all need it. But the players need it too. They will see the arrival of Odegaard and immediately feel a boost. They’ll know there is more quality coming in and that will hopefully at least give us a little more at the weekend when we play Chelski. I still don’t think we’ll win, I am pretty sure we might lose, but at least this gives a little more hope than there was before. And at this stage that’s a good thing. Let’s hold on to it, praise it, then look to Sunday and work out how the devil we’re going to stop Lukaku et al.
Catch you all tomorrow.
I can’t agree more, if we were to add a RB possibly another Partey type player and a striker in the next 2 weeks, we would have strengthened our squad a hell of alot. Last season we lacked depth, had and still have a lot of players who don’t want to be or shouldn’t be at the club. The task at Arsenal is enormous, its a bit like buying an old property with character, you need to gut it before you rebuild and see the fruits of your labour. Arsenal are in the process, but having to do the gutting and rebuilding at the same time whilst living in the house.
Everyone seems to be ignoring the fact that against Brentford Arsenal had 5 first team players out. Added to that, we didn’t have Odegaard and ESR playing at the same time like in our promising run in last season. Let’s take a first team experienced CB, CDM, ACM, LW and Striker out of any team in the league. Would Utd do so well Without Maguire, Pogba, Fernandes, Sancho and Cavani. We saw how City did just missing a main striker. Then Chelsea how would they do Without Rudiger, Kante, Harvertz, Ziyech and a having to give a debut to a 20yo.
The press love it because its Arsenal and we hold and invincible title that they’d rather be at Liverpool, Utd, City, Chelsea or lmfao Spurs (as if). We were never media darlings and never will be, nor do I want us to be. All this because we do things differently and we did do it better than everyone else until the yanks arrived. I remember John Henry coming out when he arrived and he looked upto us and Wenger and said we need to be more like Arsenal. City were so kean on being Arsenal the bought anyone we were linked to for double the money and half of our playing staff too. Leicester are doing what Wenger did for years, and the press are claiming it as if they are the first club to do business the way they do.
Under Wenger we broke new ground in everything a modern football club is these days, and it pees people of that we changed football in England for the better.
For me, that’s the best thing you’ve ever posted. Nice one.
Thanks Jimmy!
Great Post James!
I think the media know negative Arsenal stories get hits,clicks, views and listeners!
Selling the negativity, which isn’t difficult after last season! Also allows other clubs that media hacks like to get off without any kind of scrutiny! The spuds and manu are prime examples. Before Liverpool a tally won the league, they also got a free pass, largely.
In terms of the squad….
I am happy about the signings in the main. I thi k I’d rather a different attacking midfielder than Odegaard, but there are positives about signing him, not least the fact he won’t need any settling in time.
Ramsdale is actually an excellent keeper and very highly rated. I looked him up when he was first linked because, like you, I wasn’t very impressed. But again, that’s more to do with the narrative put out by the media and pretend twitter ITKs!
It’s the same with White. He’s an excellent signing yet is already being dismissed after a game. Lockinga looks decent, as does Tavares too.
I don’t think we need a RB as I’m still hoping AMN can be persuaded that’s his best position. Chambers is also good enough imo. I would live another DM, but don’t think that’s gonna happen, unless Xhaka does leave.
The next thing the club need to do is
offload players…. hmmmm….
Thank you very much for this article. We’ve been bashing away at the same theme on Untold Arsenal through the summer, and getting a fair old amount of abuse for our pains. So good too see such a clear and insightful piece that calls it as it is.
To my mind the problem is that writing negatively and abusively is much easier than undertaking serious investigations and analyses, and the blogs and media have realised that the way to get mass readers is a negative tale every hour of every day. And sadly they seem to be having an impact.
Really pleased to find your article countering the dominant mode.
Totally agree Tony. It frustrated me enough to build to a point where I’ve basically had to focus on it today. Thanks for reading.
Spot on concerning the ability of Odegaard. He is still adapting to Arsenal and premier league but he already many flashes of brilliant incisive passing reminiscent of Ozil but with a superior workrate. Granted Arsenal should not have performed tamely against Brentford, but the perspective of losing 5 key players is not considered at all in the knee-jerk reactions of even many of our fans and the biased media. Then there is the perspective that Arsenal did so well in the second half of last season when Odegaard played a key part when considering his pre-assists. We often looked so much more dangerous and scary when he is playing. We are very fortunate to get a very under-rated Odegaard at a very cheap price. Barring injuries, he will soon prove what a great player he is.
I like people who can see through the media’s ‘Bash-The-Arsenal’ convenient narrative. On that count, you have my kudos. I feel sorry for Arteta though; still feel he left Pep too soon and hadn’t imbibed enough of his former boss’s game ethos.
If I had a minute of his time, I’ll tell him to press the emergency button asap and switch to 3-5-2 (5-3-2). Conte switched to 3-4-3 and won the league for Chelsea. The much celebrated Tuchel switched to 5-3-2 to beat Man City thrice and win the UCL. Just win; who cares what formation you deploy? As a Barcelona fan, I know how much being dedicated to ‘tiki-taka’ has cost us even when we no longer have the personnel to play it well. Possession football without effective pressing and press-resistant players will end badly. Every time.
With 3-5-2, Arteta has three of his best defenders on the pitch in every match. It probably means White on the right, Rob middle and Gabriel left. Or something else. Tierney/Tavares – LWB, Saka/Chambers – RWB. ESR/Odegaard, Partey/Lokonga and Xhaka/Elneny as the 3 in the middle and you can pair Pepe/Martinelli and Laca/Auba upfront.
With this formation, Arteta can make the team difficult to beat or break down again. Defensive solidity that won the FA Cup is assured, midfield 3 that includes ESR/Odegaard means creativity is also better. With a similar formation, Arteta beat Chelsea and Man City en route the FA Cup triumph. He even beat Liverpool too.
What he needs his points/wins. And as long as teams cannot break you down, you have a chance to nick a goal or two.
Trying to play the Man City expansive 4-3-3 is a journey that will end in tears; Arsenal don’t have the personnel. So play like a small team, like a giant killer team. Defend deep and counter quickly. How many times have teams beaten Arsenal or other big teams that way?
Its either the emergency button now or the sack button before December.