Category Archives: Arsenal

Why are Arsenal the only side criticised for loaning out players?

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Nuno Tavares scored a beauty at the weekend for Marsielle.

This lead to the usualy suspects to jump on the highlights and use it to bash the club.

I really do not get these fans.

The majority hate the club due to what happened with Mesut Ozil. they then jumped onto Matteo Guendouzi (whose problems have followed him to France) and William Saliba. It seems Nuno is the next Arsenal player they will obsess over.

Now we know why they do it.

Any player loaned out by the club, they write the narrative that it is due to Mikel Arteta not rating them. That the Spanaird can not develop young players so would rather loan them out then do the work with them.

We all know this opinion is built due to their hatred for Arteta – built due to him being manager when Ozil left – rather than due to any sensible football opinion.

It is almost as if no club, ever, loans players out for first team experience and to help with their development.

Going from talented youth player to senior regular is not an easy step.

More players fail to make this step then succeed. And one of the biggest issues – especially when at a big club – is senior game time.

The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester City just can not give a player the senior game time required for them to develop.

Not every player is a bukayo Saka or Phil Foden,.

This season, with 5 substitutes, we will see an increase in academy products getting game time. but does coming on continually in the 88th minute really help develop a player?

Decades ago, clubs would use the reserve leagues to integrate talented young players alongside senior pro’s that were not selected for that weekends game. It was a useful tool.

But the introduction of more substitutes basically made reserve leagues defunct. This led it to be rebranded the U23s in recent years.

It was hoped this would bridge the gap between youth team football and senior football. But the mjaority of teams simply play their teenagers in U23 games to get them used to playing twice a week.

Loan moves for experience are not new things.

David Beckham spent time on loan at Preston in 1995. Frank Lampard a spell at Swansea around the same time. John Terry was loaned out to Nottingham Forest.

Jack Wilshere spent time at Bolton Wanderers whilst Harry Kane had 4 loan deals (Leyton Orient, Millwall, Leicester City and Norwich City).

Mason Mount had spells at Vitesse and Derby County whilst Andreas Christensen spent two seasons on-loan in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach.

Jamie O’Hara recently claimed that Saliba due to his loan deals.

“I mean you’re asking me about players, I have no interest in Arsenal whatsoever. If you have loaned him out and he has been there three seasons, you’ve loaned him out twice [then] he obviously ain’t good enough. Get rid of him.”

Now we can always ignore what O’Hara says. A failed footballer who is now a rent-a-quote gobshite that will say anything for attention to keep the pay cheques from TalkSport coming in. He loses his place on that show he will struggle to keep up his child maintenance payments.

But those quotes are shared by some in the media – as well as so called Arsenal fans – who act like loan deals are not part and parcel of the game.

It really does feel like Arsenal are the only club ever criticised for loaning out a player for them to get week in, week out senior game time.

How many of them have claimed Kane was not good enough due to his two loan spells? The answer is zero.

Saliba clearly is good enough, whilst Nuno will show on loan whether he is or is not good enough.

Whilst everyone got hyped by the goal, if you watched the whole game it would have been impossible for you to ignore Nuno’s horrendous defending. And this is why he has been sent on loan.

The club clearly think there is a player in there, but he needs to play week in week out. Something which Arsenal could not do. So a loan deal was the sensible option.

Now this has nothing to do with Arteta being “unable to develop youngsters” and everything to do with training ground development being inferior to getting senior game time.

Take a look at the latest England squad.

The 3 goal keepers selected have all spent time on loan – a combined 16 loan spells between them.

Gareth Southgate selected 9 defenders for the last squad. 7 of the 9 have been on loan. Also a combined 16 spells.

The only two not to go on loan – John Stones and James Justin – started their careers in the lower leagues which basically meant that by the time they moved to a Premier League club they had played plenty of senior football.

Of the 6 midfielders selected, only 2 have had a loan spell (6 combined spells). But like in defence 2 of the midfielders began life in the lower leagues. Only James Ward-Prowse and Declan Rice have only ever player Premier League football.

That is a total of 12 out of 18 players combining for 38 loan spells. And we are not even onto Harry Kane and the strikers yet!

7 players were listed as forwards in Southgates last squad (I will leave yo uto argue over whether wingers are midfielders or forwards).

Of the 7, 3 had loan spells in the lower leagues. A combined 8 loan spells between them – of which Harry Kane accounts for 50%.

Of the remaining players, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden were all “wodnerkids” who were playing senior Premier League football at 17/18. The last is Jarrod Bowen who came up through the lower leagues.

So we end up with a senior England squad where:

  • 15 out of the 25 players have been on loan
  • Of the remaining 10, 5 started their careers in the lower leagues

Every club up and down the country uses loan deals to give senior game time to young professional. But it is only Arsenal that receive criticism for using the loan system.

Enjoy your Wednesday.

Keenos

William Saliba – Arsenal’s new £60million centre back

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The noise only really came from the minorities.

Those on the fringes of Arsenal’s fan base. Those that go OTT in either their criticism or support of something (or someone) Arsenal related. Usually to try and get attention.

It is no different to politics really. Those minorities with extreme views often have the loudest voices and get the most air time. Meanwhile there is a silent majority in the middle that is reasonable. That hold un-extreme views. that do not over react to every little thing.

William Saliba was on man that the minorities fought over.

On one side you had those that saw him as a reason to abuse Mikel Arteta, Edu and Arsenal.

They would use Saliba to label Arteta as someone who could not develop youth. That fell out with players too easily – this despite Arsenal having the youngest starting XI last season and many of those youngsters name checking Arteta as a man key for their development.

Then on the other side you had those who were writing Saliba off. that he was not very good, had a poor attitude and would never make it. These had probably never seen him play and were building their negative view of Saliba to simply counteract those who were using the Frenchman to attack Arsenal.

But the vast majority remained silent. They could see what Arteta and the club were doing with Saliba. And understood Saliba’s talent.

Those silent majority have now been proved right in keeping their opinions to themselves, and supporting Saliba on loan whilst also supporting Arsenal on the pitch.

Saliba had joined Arsenal at 19 for just £27million. He quickly gained fan boys. But he was clearly not ready for senior Premier League football.

As part of the deal, Arsenal had agreed to loan Saliba back to Saint-Étienne. It was a deal that suited all involved.

Saint-Étienne would keep their star centre back for another year, Saliba would get a full season of top flight football and Arsenal would inherite a player one year closer to being Premier League ready.

But then the pandemic hit which cut short the French 2019/20 season leaving Saliba with just 11 top flight starts from the campaign.

Saliba returned to Arsenal for the 2020 campaign and it felt like the club did not know what to do with him.

Here was a talented individual that was still very young. He was very much a rough diamond that needed to be shined. But like with many young defenders, Arsenal could not really blood him. Allow him to make the mistakes that would cost us games.

Saliba was also suffering from personal issues. Having lost his father in 2018, Saliba’s mum passed away in 2020.

This led Saliba to enter a bit of a wilderness 6 months.

Not part of Arsenal’s first team squad, not registered for the Europa League squads, and only making the odd appearance here or there for the U23s. These performances were also not exactly screaming for him to start for the seniors.

The talent was there, but having now lost both his parents before his 20th birthday he struggled to settle in a new country. Arsenal decided to loan him out to Nice for the second half of the 2020/21 season.

At this point, Saliba had 3 half seasons under his belt.

As Arsenal entered the 2021/22 season with no European football, a decision was made to sign Ben White and send Saliba on loan to Marsielle.

It would have been a huge risk for the club to go into 21/22 with such a raw defender. The signing of White with his Premier League (and English football) experience made complete sense.

I am sure under “normal” circumstance, Saliba would have remained at Arsenal for 21/22 and played in the Europa League, League Cup and FA Cup. But with no European football Arsenal simply did not need such a big squad.

So Saliba would go to Marsielle and finally get his first full season of senior football under his belt.

He grew so much last season. Not just on the pitch but off.

The loan deal allowed him to play week in, week out at a lower level and his game came on leaps and bounds due to it. He finished the season with 5 France caps.

Also off the pitch he seemed to mature as the year went on.

After the succesful loan deal, he returned to Arsenal.

The minorities starting slandeirng the club once again. Claiming that Arteta did not want him. that he was refusing to sign a new deal and would push for a move back to Marsielle. But the silent majority could see beyond the lies.

Arsenal had taken their time developing the young defender, ignoring the noise of fans on the fringes.

When you now look at Manchester United signing Lisandro Martínez for £50million. Chelsea signing 31-year-old Kalidou Koulibaly for £33million and reportedly be willing to spend £60million on Saliba’s former Saint-Étienne team mate Wesley Fofana.

Tottenham have recently spent €55million on making the loan deal of Cristian Romero permanent whilst Manchester City have spent over half a billion on cnetral defenders in recent years.

Arsenal took the risk with Saliba, spending big money on him with such little experience.

We signed him with a development plan in mind. Personal reasons and a pandemic extended that development plan by a year. But we now have a 21-year-old central defender on our hands that could become one of the best in the world over the next few years.

Now those in the minority will be saying “we told you he was brilliant”. But this ignores the fact that the silent majority of Arsenal fans never contradicted this. Never wrote him off. Those that did were just a loud minority on the other side.

The vast majority of Arsenal fans could see his talent. But they knew it need harnessing.

So Arsenal now have a £60million+ defend on their hands. Saliba really is like a new signing.

And alongside White and Gabriel, we have the best trio of defenders since Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Martin Keown were at the club.

With 50+ games to be played this season, there will be more than enough games to go around for all three. And they will all push each other to be even better.

Arsenal got the recruitment and development of Saliba right. Now we just need to tie him down to that long term deal before his head begins to get turned by a Champions League side.

Keenos

Arsenal make over £130million loss as Torreira becomes final “Diamond Eye” signing to depart

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When “Diamond eye” Sven Mislintat was recruited by Arsenal, it was supposed to herald in a new era.

I was one of many who was excited by his appointment and the direction his employment meant the club would be going in. Post-Wenger, Mislintat was due to be a key part of the “New Arsenal“.

Mislintat had built his reputation over in Germany for Borussia Dortmund.

The German outfits transfer policy was all about buying some of the best young talents in the game, giving them time on the pitch to help with their development, and then selling them for huge profits.

It was this policy that has allowed them to “compete” with Bayern Munich during the 2010s – a decade which saw Dormund win the Bundesliga twice, reach a Champions League final and regularly finish top two in Germany.

Mislintat was an ever present having joined the club in 1998 as an Analyst and progressing through to Scout, Chief Scout and Director of Football over his two decades with them.

His appointment at Arsenal looked a masterstroke at the time.

The club would be returning to those early days of Arsene Wenger when we made, rather than bought, supoerstars.

Following last nights depature of Lucas Torreira, there is not a single player left signed by Arsenal during the 18 month period of Mislintat’s employment.

Fees based on various sources. Mkhitaryan swap with Sanchez created a £30million “book value” transfer fee

Mislintat joined us four and a half years ago. He oversaw one summer and two winter transfer windows; recruitng nine players across the three windows.

Of the eight players that joined on permanent deals, four left on free transfers – three of which were paid to leave.

Arsenal received just £24.5million in transfer fees for the nine players, with just two sold for any sort of profit. In total, Mislintat’s transfers made a net loss of around £139million.

The players he oversaw bringing in had different levels of success, and left for a variety of reasons.

From Auba bursting on the scene to becoming the problem player we had all been warned about. Guendouzi with talent beyond his years, but the maturity of someone half his age.

Some of the players (Leno, Torreira) looked good signings and did well. Others (Mkhitaryan, Suarez, Lichtsteiner, Sokratis) made you wonder if the diamond eye was actually just a lump of coal.

What is clear is taking into account the money spent, the averaged out performances, and money received, Mislintat’s tenure at Arsenal was an unmitigated disaster.

The good news is that we seem to have turned a corner.

Torreira is the last of Mislintat’s signings to leave which means we do not have too much “dead wood” left that saw us drop from Champions League to out-of-Europe.

Under Edu we now have a clear and obvious transfer policy.

It is actually that same policy thart we all assumed we would follow under Mislintat. Signing exciting, younger players.

But whilst Mislintat seemed to be focused on data, almost Moneyball like, Edu and his team are now also recruiting on attitude.

The likes of Gabriel Jesus, Ben White, Olexsander Zinchenko and Martin Odergaard are all positive characters. They do not have their own huge egos. They do play the big “I am”.

Edu’s recruitment policy has been what we hoped Mislintat’s was going to be.

For as much as Mislintat got wrong, Edu has got right.

May the excitment continue…

Keenos