Kevin Whitcher
I began a piece entitled ‘BFG For Sale’ about three weeks ago… “Ah yes, summer. Warm days, wet days, and… not much football to write about. So what the hell, throughout July, I am going to go into Arseblog mode and just write stream of consciousness stuff with the occasional nod to Arsenal, and assorted pot pourri.”
Well, here’s a bit more of the same, so move along if you want something more substantial, this website requires content and there isn’t a hell of a lot incoming from the outside world just now.
So let’s start with…
Arsenal in China
I have zero comment to make about the particulars of these matches, for the simple reason I have not seen as much as highlight snippet of either the match against Bayern, nor Chelsea. I did not catch anything of the Bayern match because I was having a very enjoyable lunch with award winning photographer and solid Gooner @Len_Scap at the legendary Arthur’s Cafe in Dalston. As for the Chelsea game, I was about to depart for a week’s hols in the sun, and packing took precedence.
However, I have been in contact with people that were over there, and seems it was a stop too far for the squad. In the modern age, I think we all accept that, to keep up with the times, and other competing clubs, some pre-season promotional stuff abroad is a necessity, but it does appear that this particular summer was not too well thought out. The players travelled from what was a relatively chilly Australia to the baking heat of China. Whether or not the heat of China had anything to do with the stomach bug that swept through the squad, we can't be certain, but one thing that does seem clear is that the players did not really enjoy this part of the tour at all, and will be glad to get back to England. It’s interesting that in spite of Arsène’s power hold on the club, this is one area where he has had to cede an element of his influence, presumably because it is directly tied in with increasing income for the club.
A friend who saw the players before the Bayern match told me, “Players were all tetchy already by the time they got to China, fed up and wanting to go home. Saw team bus pre-game – not a smiling face in there. Ox’s body language on the pitch second half was unreal.” Given this, the result against Chelsea can’t be seen as any kind of great surprise – their pre-season seems to have been better organised. Yet it also makes the win on penalties against Bayern a more remarkable achievement – especially given the relative strength of the German side. However, it is all pre-season, what matters is getting a team settled and ready to go before the Leicester game on Friday 11th August. The Community Shield will give us a better idea of how the team will shape up. Who will play at left-wing back? Neither of Monreal not Kolasinac have played there so far, although one imagines it will be the latter. It’s interesting that, in theory, the three at the back does give Arsene the option of playing an extra attacking player, and with regard to that, it’s a wonder he didn’t try it earlier.
With regard to the Australian leg of the trip, one thing I was not really aware of was that the two teams faced finished their domestic seasons some time ago and their next one doesn’t start for a while. Still, a good way to start the pre-season with matches that were unlikely to prove challenging. The club used to raise the curtain by playing Barnet at Underhill, a fixture missed by many due to the chance it gave to see some of the stars close-up.
Transfer Stuff
You have to wonder about Arsene’s strategy in press conferences, which often ends up biting him on the arse. His players were fully prepared for the start of last season, before he revealed they were not ready after the first competitive game. Then of course the uncertainty over his future having no effect on the players when they were losing game after game, although apparently it did have an influence when he was interviewed by the club’s own media channel recently. And of course, with players departing the club, there’s history. Fabregas and Nasri were going nowhere in the summer of 2011. Definitely staying at the club… until they were sold to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively days later. And so it is with Sanchez. The idea that the club will not sell him is a joke. Why not simply state that the situation is not resolved? What difference does that make to anything that is being discussed behind the scenes?
The worst case scenario is that Sanchez is sold (he will be) and Thomas Lemar is not secured from Monaco. If this happens, the club’s pretence about seriously challenging with the major clubs for the Premier League is going to look pretty ridiculous. Arsenal simply have to land Lemar to save face. And to convince anyone they will have a better chance than last season, they need to sign Schalke’s Goretzka, who has just a year on his deal to make the midfield positions more competitive. That Arsenal offered Elneny to Leicester at a knockdown price demonstrates that the manager has not been convinced by his contribution and a midfield of the temperamental Xhaka and the injury-prone Ramsey are not going to see the club through a complete campaign.
Back to Sanchez, and I saw today that the manager believes a player plus cash deal with PSG would be something he’d consider, with either of winger Lucas Moura (a direct replacement for Sanchez) or Blaise Matuidi (which addresses the lack of depth in midfield) as the two names mentioned. That Moura would be a makeweight means the squad is weakened in that regard, so my preference, if Goretzka is not pursued, is to trade Sanchez for Matuidi and a pile of cash that will go some way towards persuading Monaco to part with Lemar.
The deal with Monaco is complicated, mainly because the club are reluctant to sell too many of their players in the same summer. Apparently when Manchester City faced them in the Champions League last season, City negotiated first pick of the Monaco players this summer. Of course, City have a footballing strategy, as do Chelsea, specialist men who oversee player recruitment. The first team coach at both clubs has some input in terms of suggesting names, but his main job is to focus on the playing squad that is at the club. Arsene, the control freak, takes all the decisions at Arsenal and will not trust anyone enough to delegate the key decisions too. Everyone works under him, including, it is obvious after recent events, Ivan Gazidis. So Arsenal are behind the curve and transfer targets can be more difficult to land. This is not helped by the key decision maker being on holiday at the start of the transfer window. They would have known Sanchez was going long before the transfer window opened, and the ducks should have been lined up in a row. However, Kolasinac apart, there were no early window signings, although at least Lacazette was secured before the first game of pre-season. If Arsenal end up only getting one further player in, with the PSG deal, then the manager will tell us that Lacazette is the replacement for Sanchez and that the squad has been strengthened with the addition of either Matuidi or Moura. Make your own mind up. People that know French football better than I do tell me that Matuidi is two years past his prime, but that Moura has real potential to improve, as he is only 24. They also reckon the Lemar deal is possible for Arsenal if they will make Monaco an offer they can’t refuse. And in the current climate, I hazard to think what that might be, except to say I am not confident Arsene would sanction it. However, there is definitely a central midfielder required – as for who it will be we wait and watch, but apparently the club are actively pursuing Goretzka.
One other piece of information I have been told is that Chelsea have offered Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain £200k a week, compared with Arsenal offering him £120k a week. It’s interesting. Arsene wants more money for himself every year, but thinks that player loyalty will mean they will accept 60% of their market value. The Ox is gone. Most likely to Chelsea, but Manchester City can match their offer if they wish to, and Guardiola might even consider the Ox as a potential right back, assuming he sticks with a four man defence. Money aside, I wouldn’t blame him for leaving. Any player with genuine footballing ambition will want to improve their chances of winning the major prizes, and moving from Arsenal to a stronger, better run Premier League club is a no-brainer. Another factor is that the Ox will feel that the manager has not previously shown great faith in him, and in a sense, the £120k offer reflects his value to the club. As it stands he’d be battling for a place with Hector Bellerin, whereas at Conte, one imagines his form in the right wing back position would make him a first choice over Victor Moses. Additionally, one suspects working under Conte would improve the Ox as a footballer, allowing him to fulfil his potential. Cesc Fabregas had to play elsewhere in the Premier League to win a title, as did Nasri and Van Persie. I wouldn’t be hugely surprised if the Ox was the next in line.
