“His one of our own, his one of our owwwwwwn, Harry Kane, his one of our own”.
They tried to paint Harry Kane as a boyhood Spurs fan. A lad from Walthamstow, who grew up just the other side of the reservoirs. Could almost see the ground from his house.
Even when pictures came out of him as a 10-year-old, wearing an Arsenal shirt, hair died red for Freddie Ljungberg and at Arsenal’s invincible parade, Spurs would still claim he was one of their own.
They dismissed the above picture as “just a child wearing a shirt” and “he might have been an Arsenal fan at 10”. And that might be true.
But what they are then saying is that at 10-years-old, he was an Arsenal fan. When he was a boy, he was an Arsenal fan. So he was a boyhood Arsenal fan, not a boyhood Spurs fan. Kane only actually became a Spurs “fan” in adulthood.
Even whilst in the Tottenham academy, he would still go to Arsenal games. Cheering the team he loved on from the North Bank and Clock End.
He often went with his brother who was home and away Arsenal for a bit during his younger days, and dad who was a regular in the Plimsoll before home games at Highbury.
No matter the evidence put in front of them, Spurs fans continued to claim him as one of their own. And Kane bought into it.
When he was breaking through at Tottenham, touch and go whether he would make it, he bought it into. He realised quickly that by becoming a fan favourite, a terrace hero, that he would be harder to sell.
His family also bought into it. All of a sudden they were portraying themselves as die hard Tottenham fans. Being carried in the air around pubs off the High Road. All a little bit embarrassing.
Kane probably never envisigned in 2014 that he would go on to score the goals he did over the next decade. No longer would he need the affinity to the fans to remain at the club. He was now a fixture in Spurs team due to his on pitch performances. But by then, the mud had stuck.
Spurs fans thought he was a boyhood fan and he continued to talk in interviews how he had always loved the club. It was just not true!
Now he has got his big move to Bayern Munich, it will be interesting to see what happens.
Will his old man and family continue going over Tottenham? Or will they quietly buy a box close to Thierry Henry’s and hope to sneak in and out without being noticed. His brother might need some plastic surgery to get away with that.
Good luck Harry on your new ventures. As a fellow Walthamstow born lad and Arsenal fan, I hope you smash it over there and win the trophies you deserve!
7 years ago, I thought I would have a little fun on Twitter. I sent up an account called Arsenal Employee and “quit” my job in the club shop to free up money for Arsene Wenger to make some new signings.
Within a week of my “resignation”, we had spent over £50million on Lucas Perez and Shkodran Mustafi.
Today I am no long going to be a burden to Mr Wenger and Arsenal Football Club pic.twitter.com/cdQY7DrB9j
So yesterday when I wrote the blog about the lack of Arsenal signings, I knew that the chances were high that by the end of the week we might see some departures. As it transpired, it took until about lunchtime for the next player to leave us.
£10million for Matt Turner feels like a good deal all round.
After spending a year sitting on our bench, playing preciously zero Premier League games, an opportunity arose for him to become a first choice keeper at Nottingham Forest. And he pushed for the move.
I am fairly certain Arsenal had no interest in selling Turner, but Edu and Mikel Arteta have always allowed fringe players to depart for regular starts elsewhere.
Both Edu and Arteta are players who have found themselves as back-up dancers at some stage in their career. This has moulded them into a Director of Football and Manager that cares for a players career. They will not hold someone against their will if a fair offer to depart is on the table.
Turner is a player who has worked hard to be where he is.
Never a wonderkid, he did not even start playing football until he was 14-years-old. And he only began to play in goal when when the only other goalkeeper for his freshman team was injured at tryouts.
When it came to joining a College team, he was certainly not top of any recruiters list as a keeper. Eventually he would establish himself as Number 1 at Fairfield University.
At the age of 22, Turner was not selected in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. He was on the verge of quiting football when he made the New England Revolution roster after impressing as a preseason trialist. He would then spend a couple of years out on loan before returning to New England for the 2018 season.
Now aged 24, no one could have predicted that he would eventually become the US National Team’s number one keeper. He was still 3 years off winning his first cap.
Turner continued to work hard, continued to improve. In 2018 he would establish himself as New England’s number one, before starring in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, he would be named the league’s goalkeeper of the year.
His excellent performances in New England led to his first U.S. cap in January 2021. Five months later, he helped the Americans to the Gold Cup title, raising his profile with some top-tier play that culminated with him winning the Golden Glove award given to the best goalkeeper in the tournament.
And then the big move came.
In February 2022, it would be announced that Turner would join Arsenal for around £5million. He would become number 2 behind Aaron Ramsdale.
Turner has battled from obscruity tofirmly establish himself as the USA’s number 1, so when the opportunity to be a Premier League number 1 arose, he was always going to take it with both hands.
Nottingham Forest get an international standard number 1, Turner gets his chance to play regular PL football, and Arsenal double their money.
It is not really an exclusive to announce that Raya is going to be Turner’s replacement at Arsenal. It is a transfer that got a few people scratching their heads.
Firstly, you have those Arsenal fans questioning the club for getting their priorities wrong, stating that Arsenal should be targeting a striker rather than a goalkeeper.
We have not decided to sign Raya over a new centre forward. We merely need a new goalkeeper following Turner’s departure. Is getting someone better than Runar Alex Runarsson and Karl Hein more important than someone better than Eddie Nketiah? Yes.
You then get those opposing fans wondering why Raya has (reportedly) turned down Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
All 4 of those clubs were looking for a new keeper this summer.
Chelsea opted for Brighton’s Robert Sanchez, Tottenham some unknown from Italy and Man U signed Andre Onana. Raya is better than all of those.
Rumours were Raya was subject to a bid in access of £40m from Tottenham earlier in the summer. And instead he joins Arsenal for £25m.
This all probably comes down to the player himself.
David Raya would rather compete to be Arsenal’s number one then get gauranteed starts at Tottenham or Man U. The pull of Arsenal and Arteta is huge!
The final question is why Aaron Ramsdale would sign a new long term (and why Arsenal would offer one), if the club were targeting Raya. Again, I do not think it is as simple as that.
The Raya deal is one that has materilised in the last 10 days due to circumstance – Turner leaving and Raya wanting out.
Arsenal would have been looking for a number 2 to replace Turner. The prices quoted were probably not too far off the deal we have done to secure Raya.
We could have gone out and spent £20m and not recruited a goalkeeper close to the ability of Raya. So it also makes sense to spend the additional £5-10m on a top player.
As for how Arteta will get Ramsdale and Raya integrated into the squad, well that is his problem.
Sometimes I feel Arsenal are the only club criticised for having strength in depth!
So we will start the season with Ramsdale as number 1, Raya as number two. Both are home grown, both well under the age of 30. It will now be interesting to see if one establishes themselves as the clear number one. And if they do, if the other one decides to depart in 12 months time.
I have seen some compare it to when we had Bernd Leno and Emi Martinez, with some pointing out “that ended in disaster”.
Leno and Martinez ended up with us winning a trophy. And both Ramsdale and Raya are established number ones (whilst Martinez had only played about 20 games in 10 years for us!).
Martinez was also unwilling to try and fight for his spot, preferring to move to a side that gauranteed him regular football, even if it was for the 17th best team in the league.
Raya has chosen to come to Arsenal knowing he will start the season as 2nd choice, and he will have to battle to be The Arsenal number one. The situations are not comparable.
Turner takes us to around £42.5million incoming, whilst if Raya is confirmed, our expenditure (excluding add-ons) will be around £220m.
That will be a net spend of around £177.5m. That is only around £20m more than Tottenham’s net spend this summer!
I have always said that I expect Arsenal’s net to be around £100m but the time 1 September hits. So we have another £77.5m to go.
And to start how we finished, deals can happen quick.
We will swiftly recoup that once the departures of Folarin Balogun and Kierant Tierney!
Enjoy your Thursday.
Keenos
Note: this blog was written yesterday afternoon. And to highlight how quick deals can happen, the Raya deal was provisionally announced in between its scheduling and the blog going live this morning!
We started the transfer window off aggressively, quickly signing Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice. 15 July 2023, over £200million spent. Our incomings were basically done.
As it stands, the only two sales remain Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari for around a combined £27m. We have also seen Ainsley Maitland-Niles leave on a free.
In that blog, I listed 14 players who could depart this summer, with a prediction that we could raise nearly £200m if we sold them all. I also mentioned that I did not expect us to sell them all.
Some would fight their way back into Mikel Arteta’s plans (or were never out of them) whilst we might have to loan others out if the right transfer offer did not come in.
So who were the XI? and what is happening?
Emile Smith Rowe: The noise from the club throughout the summer has wlays been “Smith Rowe is not for sale”. But there has always been a feeling that if a big enough bid came in, we would accept it. I believe that bid is in excess of £40m.
Smith Rowe has fallen behind Leandro Trossard and Kavi Havertz in the team, so I think the exit is still slightly ajar for him. But it would take a big offer.
If that offer does not come in (and he has not so far), Arteta is clearly happy for Smith Rowe to stay and be attacking cover for Havertz in the 8 as well as 4th choice winger.
With 3 years left on his contract, we are in no rush to sell.
Granit Xhaka: Sold for £21.4m
Folarin Balogun: If Arsenal’s valuation for Balogun had have been met already, he would have gone.
Arsenal are reportedly asking for £40m for the Englishman-turned-American. Balogun has recently let leak through his people that he hopes Arsenal will drop that valuation. But why would we?
Balogun scored 21 goals in France last season, is just 22-years-old and is home grown.
Rasmus Højlund is joining Man U for £72m after a single top flight season in Italy where he scored 9 goals. wolves have spent £45m on Mathues Cunha. Chelsea £30m on Nicolas Jackson and Brighton £30m on Joao Pedro.
We have also seen Harvey Barnes join Newcastle for £38m and Moussa Diaby move to Aston Villa for £47m. I do not think a £40m asking price for Balogun is too unreasonable.
I think other Premier League clubs (West Ham, Crystal Palace), are waiting until late in the window in the hope we drop the price.
Likewise, I think Balogun is showing no interest in those sort of clubs in the hope someone bigger (Inter Milan?) comes in for him.
I expect Balogun to depart close to deadline day.
Kieran Tierney – I can not see how Tierney gets much game time with us this season.
He is behind Olexsandr Zinchenko at elft back, and Arteta has played Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jurrien Timber and Jakub Kiwor at left back ahead of him. All 3 seem more suitable to that inverted left back role.
there is an argument that if Timber plays on the right as an inverted full back, then we might want to play Tierney on the left in a more traditional position to give us width. But I also think Zinchenko and Tomiyasu can also play that role.
With Tierney, we are just waiting for that bid to come in (interesting to note that Newcastle have still not yet bought a new left back).
Nicolas Pepe: I am surprised that he is not already in Saudi Arabia.
When you consider the money they have spent and the players who have moved over there, it feels like he would fit in perfectly. With a year left on his contract, he is on the verge of signing for Besiktas on a free transfer.
If he still has ambitons to play top level European football (and thinks a year in Turkey could rebuild his reputation) and has rejected Saudi advance, then fair play.
Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga: I put these guys together as they are in a similar situation.
Signed in the summer of 2021, both came with reputations as young talents (the sort of players Chelsea are now buying every other week!). Neither really showed themselves as being title challenger quality and both had mixed loan deals next summer.
Both will eventually depart this summer, but I suspect it might be loan deals again rather than permanent moves.
A bit like others on this list, moves will happen late in the window with buying (or loaning) clubs hope to get a better deal driven by Arsenal’s need to get them off the books – we will not have the squad space to register either.
Charlie Patino: A bit like Flo Balogun, we have our valuation of him and that has not been met.
His loan deal at Blackpool started well, but as the season went on his performances declined. Will a Premier League side take a risk on him and give him the first team football he desires? I am not sure.
I feel he will end up following Henri Lansbury’s career. He will have to accept that right now he is not Premier League ready and have to accept a move to a Championship club. And when down there, he could find that is his natural level.
Aaron Trusty: In the time it has taken me to get down to this point of the blog, Aaron Trusty has left us! This highlights how quickly deals can happen, and why it should not be too much of a worry that we still have a lot of players to shift.
Trusty had a very good loan spell at Birmignham City last season, so it is not surprise that he has been picked up by a newly promoted team. The deal is reportedly for £5m, a trebling of our investment but less than what Tranfrmarkt value him as…
Rob Holding: It is basically up to Rob Holding whether he leaves or not. He is not on high wages, we will not command a huge transfer fee, and Mikel Arteta is probably happy to keep him around as an extra defensive reinforcement.
He is probably 6th choice centreback, behind Saliba, Gabriel ,Kiwior, White and Timber. And argument can even be made for Tomiyasu to be ahead of him.
Holding has been with us for 7 years and is settled in North London with his family. My feeling is he will only consider leaving us if it is another London club that comes in for him.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles: Left for nothing. Still not found a new club.
Pablo Mari: Joined Monza for £6m.
Cedric Soares: Cedric spoke about wanting to stay at Arsenal and fight for his place, but this shows a level of delusion.
Now behind White, Timber, Zinchenko, Tomiyasu and Tierney, he probably would not even be registered in the squad next season.
With a year left on his contract, my gut is he will remain unregistered at Arsenal before seeking a January loan deal.
Alex Runar Runarsson: I do not even think my 5-a-side team would want Runarsson. Although this is because I am the manager, and the goalkeeper.
Had has two loan spells since joining us. I do wonder if we are keeping hold of him right now just in case Matt Turner departs and we can not get a replacement goalkeeper in.
That would see Karl Hein promoted to second choice and Runarsson probably become 3rd.
So when I started this blog (Thursday morning), it was two players sold. By the time I finished it (Friday morning), Trusty had joined Xhaka and Mari in the departures lounge. It will publish one day next week, so who knows what extra deals would have gone through by then!
We are a third of the way to the £100m. The sales of Tierney and Balogun would probably take us over that figure. More players will leave, and if we can end up with a net spend of around £100m, we should be very happy with ourselves!
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 