For anyone thinking that Arsenal might sign cover for Thomas Partey, do not bother wasting mental energy.
Three transfers have happened in the last week (or are happening) that show that Arsenal have zero plans in signing cover for the Ghanaian midfielder.
Firstly we have Idrissa Gueye who is set to leave PSG to return to Everton.
Now 32 years old, the Senegalese midfielder would be very good – if short term – cover for Partey.
Replacing Gueye at PSG is Renato Sanches.
The Portuguese midfielder seems to have been about forever, but is still just 24.
A career which started so brightly with Benfica. He burst onto the scene 6 years ago with Golden Boy performances for Portugal as they won the Euros.
That saw him move to Bayern Munich, then loaned out to Swansea.
He has recently rebuilt his career at Lille, which has led to PSG recruiting him for just just £10million.
Also leaving PSG is former Liverpool midfielder Georgina Winjaldum, who has joined Roma on loan.
All 3 players offer similar attributes as Partey, and would have been deals the club could have done easily.
Gueye and Winjaldum would have offered short term options to cover Partey for the next season. This would have allowed the club to scout a longer to replacement next summer.
Sanches would have potentially been that longer term replacement who would have signed cheaply. And if he didn’t work out would not have been an expensive flop.
The fact Arsenal have not been linked with any of the 3, let alone signed, would indicate we are happy Mohammed Elneny, Granit Xhaka and Olexsander Zinchenko covering Partey for this season.
My suspicion is next season we will go bit for a young central midfielder who could be Partey’s longer term replacement.
For how, I think Arsenal have no interest in signing cover for Partey.
It’s great to be back! And what a difference a year makes.
12 months ago I was buzzing to get back to football after the restrictions of Covid. Then Arsenal let me down.
A year on we opened the Premier League season up once more with a trip away in London.
A much changed team from that Brentford defeat and a new wave of hope across the land. And this time the team didn’t let us down.
It was just good to be meeting up once more with old friends. Starting out drinking in London Bridge.
The football season is a bit like the first day back at school. You see people you have known for years for the first time in months and there are plenty of hugs, fist bumps and kisses to go around!
Selhurst Park is a great old ground which is still the heart of the community. But it is not without its faults.
It is probably the worst ground to try and get into and if (like me) you are on the rows for 40 upwards, you can only see half the pitch.
But I will take these to be in a proper football ground rather than a soulless bowl on an industrial park.
It was a bit cringey at the beginning as the famous Palace ultras (lol) did some weird display.
Over the summer Palace decided they were founded in 1861 rather than 1905. Anyone that has followed the story will know some historian has created some very tenuous links between a group of lads that played at Crystal Palace park in 1861 and the team that was established in 1905.
Palace have used it as some sort of marketing tool to launch plenty of ‘1861’ merchandise. And then Friday night they used the Holmsdale fanatics to publicise this. So much them claiming he displays are “fan led”.
Some plane flew about the ground before the game, but the less said about that the better. Palace fans also took the opportunity to boo Thomas Partey’s every touch.
With what has gone on publicly in the last few weeks, this was not a surprise and something Thomas will need to get used to during the season. Just like Robin van Persie had to about 10 years ago when he was accused of similar acts.
We looked good. We looked very good.
The movement and versatility of the front 3 had Palace defenders chasing shadows and we really should have scored before we did.
Eventually the opening goal came from a well worked corner with Gabriel Martinelli getting on the end of a smart header back from Olexsander Zinchenko.
On Zinchenko and Ben White, both performed excellently.
Considering both lack a little pace, the pair dealt with Palace’s speedy wingers with ease. White was especially impressive at right back where he let Zaha quiet for 90 minutes.
William Saliba also put in a fantastic debut. I might write a longer blog on him at a later date.
Back to the game. After going 1-nil up we had a few jittery moments at the back. This seemed to make us lose confidence and we reverted to backs against the wall defending.
The front 3 got through a lot of work and began to tire. Mikel Arteta probably should have freshened it up before he did but eventually he bought on KT at left back and Eddie up top.
Eddie reenergised upfront and shortly after he came one we got the second goal.
We have to remember that Jesus rarely played 90 minutes for Manchester City and has a high energy, high pressing game. What Arteta needs to do is establish the optimum time when Jesus is about to fall off a cliff physically and swap him out for Eddie. My bet is this will regularly be around the 65-70 minute mark.
The game perhaps showed that we are also on short out wide.
Like Jesus, Saka and Martinelli also dropped off physically. We could have done with another wide option (that isn’t Pepe) on the bench to bring on.
Maybe in the future this will be Zinchenko – if KT starts – but I wouldn’t mind if we added another winger to the first team squad.
Another player to come away from the game with immense credit was Granit Xhaka.
Whilst Martin Odergaard might wear the captains armband, Xhaka is this teams leader.
He was booked unfairly – highlighting once more than he is referees differently to any other player – but kept his cool and ran the game.
Post game it was a trek back to London Bridge, hit up the George for a few more beers till closing.
Great evening out with some great people watching some great football. It was just great.
For Arsenal’s rivals, the Tweets will write themselves.
Spoiler: It was nothing
But this will only tell half the story. And it will be the story of rival fans who never lived the 2021/22 season through an Gooners eyes.
Side note: Most fo the fans who will use this line will be Tottenham fans. Whilst they might have finished above us in the league, they finished the season with the exact same amoutn of trophies: nothing.
Only difference is they won nothing for the 14th season in a row. so joke is on them really.
The 2021/22 season is one which a lot of alienated fans fell in love with the club again. It was a great season full of fun and made me proud of The Arsenal once more.
Getting to watch the youngest team in the Premier League – many of whom were developed in Hale End – grow together over the course of the season will the abiding memory.
It was a journey, a rollercoaster, that the fans and young players shared together.
We celebrated and commiserated as a single entity. One Arsenal.
The bitching and infighting of previous years had gone – on the terraces at least.
Having away days in full capacity again was certainly the highlight, even though I didn’t see us win a game on the road.
There were many highs at the Emirates, with the North London Derby and the Wolves game sticking out as favourites.
Although it ended in disappointment, I have hopes this season that we will come back bigger and stronger to go on to better things.
We go into this season with our young players being a year older. A year wiser. To that we have added a couple of real winners as well as conmtinuing the policy of buying some of the worlds most exciting, young talent.
On and off the pitch the club feels united. That we are moving in one. From the boardroom to the pitch and onto the terraces. Everyone pushing together to be the best Arsenal we casn bel.
Whilst 2022/23 will not be made into a documentary, it is one that will hopefully live in the memory of Arsenal fans much longer than last season.
It feels like we are on the verge of something special.
Arsenal: All or Nothing – the “all” is much more than jsut winning a trohpy or finishing top four.
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 