Welcome to the second instalment of “writing blogs from my garden whilst on leave”.
Todays is basically a sequel of yesterdays as once again the only relevant Arsenal news is departing players.
Firstly the Bernd Leno deal was confirmed late last night.
The figures are nothing to shout out about. A few million upfront then a few more million if Fulham stay in the Premier League.
This has led to the doom mongers to wake up after a fairly positive summer. Spreading negativity to feed their hunger of attention.
Some have gone as far to say “at that price we should have kept Leno”. This shows a complete lack of understanding of football.
Yes, Leno was under contract so in theory we could have forced him to see that out. But what value would there have been on that?
If Aaron Ramsdale picks up an injury, we would then be selecting an unmotivated player who does not want to be here as a replacement. And in a position that is as much about mentality as is it physicality.
Forcing Leno to stay would have been a disaster.
Fans always forget about the players when it comes to transfers. They just want to move (or not move).
Leno has sat patiently for the last 12 months barely playing. He has been the ultimate professional by doing so.
30-years-old, nearly 500 senior games, a World Cup in 4 months. We have shown him great respect by allowing him to leave cheap rather than forcing him to stay.
Leno won his last German cap in 2021. Whilst Arsenal’s number one, he was a regular in their squad. The only way he gets on the plane to Qatar is through regular playing. That will not happen at Arsenal.
A move to Fulham means he will be a regular starter from day one in a league he knows. He will not have to move from his London home. And he will have an outside chance of making that German team.
We already have a replacement in Matt Turner who will do a job (and be happy as) a number two.
Instead of criticising Edu (and oddly Mikel Arteta – who does not negotiate transfers), let’s thank Leno for his time at Arsenal and wish him luck in the future.
The other player set to leave looks to be Charlie Patino.
The starlet is set to join Blackpool on loan.
It will be a good move for the youngster who looked well off senior pace against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup last season.
He has put on some muscle since then and hopefully plying regularly in the Championship will get him used to the physical side of mens football.
Patino is still just 18 and sometimes we forget how tough it is to transition from youth team to senior football. Not everyone can be Bukayo Saka or Jack Wilshere.
Emile Smith Rowe was a similarly talented, gangly attacking player. During 6 months of Championship football with Huddersfield he grew as a player and into a man.
Hopefully Patino follows this path and becomes the player his talent deserves.
Continuing development away from the constant gaze of Arsenal’s Twitter analysts will not be a bad thing.
Enjoy your Wednesday.
Keenos
