Well, hello there dear reader. Welcome back. We’d not broken up; we we’re just on a break. But we’re back now. And just in time before kick-off tomorrow.
Before we get sucked into the vortex of another season I thought it would be wise to note down some recent pre-season developments before the fog of war causes the memory to fade.
My heart broke. I know it was destined to happen. There had been just too much noise; too much smoke. Sure, we received a tidy sum. But we’ve lost ESR. I loved this boy. The quintessential Arsenal academy product. My Wilshire replacement. His style of play, his goals and his class. But somehow injuries and the wasted money on Vieira have conspired to force him out of the club. Though I could never wish well on Fulham, I pray he achieves the success there he deserves. He will be missed. We will not be able to witness his best years. We should have sold Vieira – or just left him by the side of the road. I also recognize that we have Nwaneri and he must receive playing time. He is another generational talent. So, I can see why this is a good move for ESR and for us (i.e. the money with a buy-back option I hope) but it still brings tears to my eyes. BTW, do you know who ESR came on for as a substitute in his first Arsenal appearance? Do you know who passed to ESR for his first Arsenal goal? Iwobi in both cases.
Can someone explain to me these weird transfers that we’ve seen over the summer between Villa, Newcastle and Chelsea. How is this not goosing the books to avoid PSR issues? Can’t blame them for gaming the system I suppose but if there actually was a real authority running this sport this would be stamped out. But then the same people can’t even figure out how to fix VAR nor can they handle the issue of the 115.
With all the debate and disagreements about who we have signed and who we should have signed. All the bleating about Toney and other forwards. The demand for us to have a backup to Saka etc. We genuinely need a true defensive midfield/holding player.
My next, and possibly most unnerving point; here’s the thing I’ve not heard discussed at all and it is the most clear and obvious risk that we run. Odegaard. What the hell would we do if he was injured? Who is the natural replacement? Sure, he is a uniquely gifted player. No-one could actually replace him. But it’s unreasonable to expect him to play the minutes he played last year. At some point (and I don’t mean to jinx this) he will pick up a knock or two. Then who would we use to link up with Saka and White to provide that creativity down our right? Please, oh please, don’t even think about Vieira.
What is going on at Chelsea. Really. Not that I care. They are a basket case. It’s gotten borderline embarrassing. Their American owners make you miss their Oligarch. How many players can one team play at once. Of course, this goes back to these weird transfers. And while I naturally only desire that that lot down the road implode and fail miserably this season (as they always do) it’s really hard not to despise Chelsea nearly as much and just hope they suffer an equivalent fate. They really are bringing the game into disrepute.
Back to us. I’ve been impressed with certain players in our pre-season. In particular Nelson has looked like a rejuvenated player. I can see him being a reasonable (and cheap) cover for Saka. It’s been torture to see Vieira in this position. Of course Nelson was deemed to be headed to Leicester. Why can’t we send Vieira there instead. Given that Eddie seems headed out for a tidy sum, we should retain Reece and use the money to get cover for Odegaard.
Partey is still with us. The Saudis’ lost interest. Unfortunately. We could have used that money. Instead, he’ll run down his contract (which is his right) and spend too much time injured. It’s hard to see how we can rely on him for the season ahead. With more fixtures and greater expectations, we must have a more balanced and deeper squad to support the added pressure. Partey, on his day, can help link up our play and dissect the opposition with his forward passing. But we just know his body will fail him. If we knew he would remain fit I’d be more than happy to keep him. But we just know, in the real world, that won’t happen.
Jesus looks rejuvenated. Martinelli looks fit again (not in that way dear boy). But I don’t know you’d want to really on either for the goals we’ll need. Have-that will only get better but I’d still like to see us add a striker. Once Eddie moves on, may, just maybe we’ll sneak off and grab Toney. He could be our last minute summer shopping.
This season will be tougher for us. More fixtures. And everyone is now saying we should be expecting to win the league. Mark me down as a skeptic. If we do have a back-up for Odegaard and we bring in a defensive midfielder along with a striker, then we might have a deep enough squad. But we saw last year you can’t get by with just 12 or 13 core players. We will progress. We will continue on our upward trajectory. But now we’ll have the media jumping all over us as soon as we lose a game. The margin for error is so small. All we need is for Rodri to move to Gibraltar.
Predictions for this season:
Top 4 – City, Arsenal, Liverpool, United
Bottom 3 – Sp*rs, Chelsea, Sp*rs Reserves
-LB7