Category Archives: Arsenal

Time up for two former Arsenal captains?

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Arsenal are clearly on an upwards curve. The biggest we have seen since Arsene Wenger joined in the mid-late 90s.

But with all evolution, there will be sacrifices. And like with that early Wenger team, some players will be left behind and sacrificed, even if they are fans favourites.

For Wenger, ian Wright and Paul Merson were the two most high profile players that moved in during his early days – with Merson replaced by Marc Oversmars and Nicolas Anelka taking Ian Wright’s place in the first team.

As Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal continue to grow, 2 fans favourites could find themselves surplus to requirements this summer.

Kieran Tierney

Manxman Kieran Tierney was a breath a fresh air when he joined us.

In 2019 we were at our lowest. The egos had taken over and the fans and players were more disconnected than either.

Then Tierney turned up and instantly connected with the match going faithful.

He was a normal bloke who just happened to be good at football. He turned up in short sleeves and shorts, listened to Gerry Cinnamon and gave 100% every game for the team.

Tierney was also a fantastic footballer. Arguably the best left back in the league for a time. And was also a fans favourite to take over the captains armband following Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s demise a year ago.

But we knew we were signing a player with a questionable injury record.

Injury saw him miss huge chunks of the 2018/19 season with Celtic. He played just 9 games in the second half of the Scottish season prior to joining us.

It took until the end of September 2019 before Arsenal fans would see him on the pitch. And by December he had picked up an unfortunate shoulder injury that would rule him out for nearly 3 months.

He has since missed close to 50 games injured in the 4 seasons as an Arsenal player. In the last 18 months he has suffered 3 seperate knee injuries.

Tierney has also found himself fall down the pecking order.

Oleksandr Zinchenko was signed in the summer and is now clearly Arteta’s first choice left back.

When Zinchenko has been out injured, it has been Takehiro Tomiyasu rather than Tierney that has started.

Tierney is a a traditional full back. He wants to stay wide, get round the outside of his winger and whip balls in. And he is great at it.

But Arteta wants his full backs to play “inverted”. The slot inside to join Thomas Partey in midfield when we are attacking. Tierney has struggled with this role.

Ben White is firmly first choice right back, and Zinchenko at left back. Tomiyasu (who has also had his injury problems) is Arteta’s preferred option to cover both. That leaves Tierney surplus to requirements.

He would need two full backs – Zinchenko and either White or Tomiyasu – to be out injured before he sees any game time. It is not a good place mentally for a player who has previously spoken a lot about his mental health.

Whilst 3 full backs does leave us short, we have some exciting young talent coming through in Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Lino Sousa.

Right back Norton-Cuffy has taken a step up from last year’s successful loan spell at League On Lincoln City. He is now a first team regular in the Championship for Rotherham. There is no reason he can not step up to our Premier League squad next year to be 3rd choice right back.

At left back, Lino Sousa in January this year. The 17-year-old is already playing U21 football.

I would not be surprised to see Sousa follow the same route as Norton-Cuffy – a 2nd half of the season loan spell in League One before a full season of Championship football next season.

With 3 ahead of him, and 2 talented youngsters knocking at the door, it might be a good time to cash in on Tierney.

Rob Holding

I love Rob Holding. He is living every fans dream.

Signed from Bolton in 2016, he probably never dreamed that he woukld play 150 times for The Arsenal, and play such a key role in the heart of the defence as we won two FA Cups.

Every top side needs a Holding.

4th choice centre back, he is solid, dependable and – most importantly – a top professional.

He realised he is “onto a good thing” at Arsenal and is clearly not pushing to leave.

Like Tierney, he was part of the “leadership group” prior to this season, and would often wear the captains armband in the Europa League.

But against Zurich in the final Europa League game, it was new signing Gabriel Jesus that captained the team rather than either Holding or Tierney.

That raises the question as to whether Holding or Tierney are even part of the leadership group anymore?

Based on who has warn the armband this season, it is Martin Odegaard, Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Jesus. You would imagien Ghana captain is also part of the leadership team, and potentially Gabriel Magalhaes on behalf of the defence.

Rob Holding would still have a future at the club as 4th choice central defender, but that is a role he might end up losing in the near future.

As mentioned, Ben White is now first choice right back. His performances there got him into the England World Cup squad.

That leaves Arsenal with just 3 “specialist” centre backs – William Saliba, Gabriel and Holding.

So it is likely that we will look to sign a new 3rd choice defender this summer. Potentially someone who plays on the left hand side of 2.

That individual would be closer to the quality of Gabriel and Saliba than Holding is. They would give Arteta quality cover for his favoured pair without having to move White inside.

White would then perform the dual role of 1st choice right back, 4th choice central defender. The result is Holding would be pushed down to 5th choice centre back and probably never see a minutes football.

Plenty will probably disagree that this could be the last season we see Holding and Tierney in an Arsenal shirt. But you can not stand in the way of progression.

This season both have fallen out of Arteta’s leadership group and are very much fringe players.

As we continue to strive to improve the team, the squad, both could be left further behind.

There would be plenty of Premier League interest in the pair, and this summer could be the last we can sell either before their value declines due to lack of game time.

In Rob Holding’s case, he only has 18 months left on his contract (although Arsenal do have an option of an additional year).

One thing we can all agree on is Arsenal need to do a better job selling players. And key in that is selling at the right time.

This summer could be the right time for Holding and Tierney.

Keenos

Former team mates encourage Charlie Patino exit

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Charlie Patino’s contract runs out in the summer.

Whilst Arsenal have an option to extend his current deal by a year, that will only be to secure a big transfer fee this summer if he doesn’t sign a new long-term contract.

Like the rest of us, I am sure Patino would have been watching the World Cup whilst regular football took a break. He would have failed to notice the performances of 3 former team mates.

And the performances of Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala and Yunus Musah may have been enough to encourage the Arsenal youngster to seek a move abroad.

Patino played in the England youth set ups from U15 level to U19 with Bellingham and Musiala. Whilst he played for both club and country with Musah.

In 2020, all Bellingham, Musiala and Musah decided their future was abroad.

Musiala joined Bayern Munich, Bellingham Dortmund and Musah went to Valencia. Patino opted to stay at Arsenal.

Since then, all 3 have established themselves as first team regulars for their new clubs, and all won over 20 caps for their countries. The trio have had now had their breakthrough international tournament.

Meanwhile, Patino is on loan Blackpool and doesn’t look close to becoming a first team regular for Arsenal (let alone England).

Next season, you would expect him to become a full member of the Arsenal first team squad. But he plays in a position where Arsenal have a lot of competition.

In his natural “8” position, we have Granit Xhakaand Martin Odegaard. Backing them up we then have Fabio Vieira, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Emile Smith Rowe.

That “4th choice” place could be free’d up if Arsenal decide to cash in on Smith Rowe due to his injuries. The future of Lokonga will also be evaluated in the summer.

Even if both of those depart, Patino would still have 3 ahead of him. And maybe even 4 if you consider Bukayo Saka has also played more centrally for Arsenal in the past.

4th choice at Arsenal, aged 19, is not a bad place to be. But Patino has seen his former team mates becomeg regulars for top clubs in top leagues, and starting for their countries in Qatar. It is only natural that he might decide his best chance of regular football is away from Arsenal.

Next summer, expect a bidding war for Bellingham. Liverpool and Manchester City seem his most likely suitors in a deal that could break the record for most expensive English footballer.

The feeling is whoever misses out on him might turn their eyes towards Musah – and Arsenal have recently been linked with a big money move for their former trainee.

That could see Bellingham, Musah and Musiala as first team regulars at some of Europe’s elite. Meanwhile Patino would be a bench warmer at Arsenal.

If Bellingham does leave Dortmund, I would not be surprised if they target Patino as his “like for like” replacement.

We have seen Dortmund do this before. They are a great option for talented youngsters that need game time.

Replace Bellingham at Dortmund, get the senior game time you need, then in 2-3 years time get the big money move to a top, top club.

Ousmane Dembele, Jadon Sancho, and Erling Haaland are the 3 big stars to have followed that path. Bellingham soon to join them.

Arsenal will struggle to keep Patino if he is being offered first team football by a Dortmund (or Valencia).

Of course, moving to Dortmund – or elsewhere – will not guarantee Patino becomes a star.

Karim Adeyemi and Donyell Malen have both been poor this season, whilst highly rated Mahmoud Dahoud and Emre Mor failed to fulfil their potential. Alexander Isak another who struggled in Germany.

Dortmund do tend to “buy 3 or 4” when “selling one” in the hope one of those 3 or 4 becomes the next star. The others dissapear without a trace.

There are also plenty of warnings from former Arsenal players.

Marcus McGuane and Stephy Mavididi are the two that come to mind as talented youngsters whose move did not go as planned. Although they perhaps makde the mistake of joining Barcelona and Juventus respectively, and ending up in the same situation as they were at Arsenal.

If you are a young kid looking to kick start your senior career in England, you need to be looking at the Dortmund’s and Valencia’s of this world. side in the next tier who can give you the senior game time.

I do not want Patino to leave. I think he is a talent and can hopefully see come career progression with Arsenal.

A year as understudy to Granit Xhaka, and then in a seasons time the Swiss man would be 32. How much longer would he be able to continue playing at the highest level?

You would probably then have a season of Xhaka and Patino being rotated in and out, before Patino becomes first choice come 2025.

Patino will be just 21 come the start of the 2025/26 season.

Whilst he has no need to rush his career, by 2025 his former team mates would have been first team regulars for 4 seasons, and be closing in on 50 caps for their country. There would be a feeling that he has been left behind.

I do not want Patino to leave. But it he is at that crossroads in his career and seeing others his age performing so well on the world stage could be what pushes him to depart.

Keenos

Is investment in the defence required?

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For the first time in a long time, I look at our defence and think “we do not much investment”.

Ben White, William Saliba, Gabriel and Olexsandr Zinchenko are all 25 or under and is up there with the best back 4s in the league.

It would be hard to upgrade on the existing back 4, but what about what is in reserve?

At full back, alongside White and Zinchenko we also have Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kieran Tierney. And coming through the youth team is Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Lino Sousa.

The odd one out is Cedric Soares.

With White’s move to right back, he is surplus to requirements. I wouldn’t be surprised if he left us in January.

Where we do perhaps need investment is in central defence.

In the summer, I would not have said this. We had Saliba, Gabriel, White and Rob Holding. A solid set of 4.

But since then, White has made the right back position his own. We now need to disregard him when talking about our 3 central defensive options.

When a player is injured, you should always look to make as few changes as possible.

Whilst if Saliba of Gabriel picked up a knock, we could move White inside and play Tomiyasu outside, that would require two changes. And Rob Holding is not good enough to be 3rd choice centre back.

A case can easily be made for us to sign a new centra defender – although I imagine this will not happen until the summer.

Someone that can provide Gabriel and Saliba with better cover than Holding currently does. The name Evan Ndicka has been floated about a bit.

The French defender is just 23 and playing for Eintracht Frankfurt. A classy left footed individual, he looks ready to take a step up. His contract also expires this summer.

Recruiting him would give Mikel Arteta like-for-like cover and competition for Gabriel, and the squad depth needed for the Champions League.

Ben White would then become the 4th centre back option – 1st choice right back and 4th central defender.

We have seen with Manchester City over the years how tough it is to find decent ball playing defenders that can also defend. They have gone big to recruit John Stone, Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias. They also have Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji.

We do not have the money to recruit this strength in depth (not make the mistakes they have in the transfer market), so it might be preferable to stick with what we know in Rob Holding.

The defence is certainly not a priority over the next two windows – midfield and attack is where we need to invest heavily. But if the scouting department can spot the right player, at the right cost, we should move for them.

Keenos