Category Archives: Arsenal

Could Arteta sacrifice new striker to sign breakout Euro winger?

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Going into this transfer window, most of us agreed that a striker was tp of the list.

Despite us scoring more league goals last season than any other in our history, the feeling was we needed someone more clinical if we wanted to take the next jump from challengers to champions.

The issue, however, remains that there are not many top strikers in world football right now. And those that are potentially available are over priced having achieved little, and I question whether they would actually be an upgrade on Kai Havertz.

This is not the 00s where it felt like top strikers were going on trees (Henry, Shevchenko, Ronaldo, Del Perio, Inzaghi, Owen, Shearer, Rooney, Eto’o, Raul, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Trezequet, Anelka and more!). The lack of top strikers is highlighted by the list of names that led the line for their countries in the last 8 of the Euros:

Spain – Alvaro Morata
Germany – Kai Havertz
Portgual – Cristiano Ronaldo
France – Randal Kolo Muani
Netherlands – Memphis Depay
Turkey – Arda Guller
England – Harry Kane
Switzerland – Breel Embolo

If you take Harry Kane out of the equation (who has looked shot this summer), iwould not take any of the other 6 names ahead of Kai Havertz. And it is the same in the Copa America:

Argentina – Lautaro Martinez
Ecuador – Enner Valencia
Venezuela – Salamon Rondon
Canada – Cyle Larin
Columbia – Jhon Cordoba
Panama – Edgar Barcenas
Uruguay – Darwin Nunez
Brazil – Endrick

Half of the Copa America list are journeymen footballers, whilst the likes of Nunez and Endrick are unobtainable. Lautaro Martinez is a player I have always admired, but we are unlikely to persuade him to leave Inter Milan, whom he is a cult hero and will eventually be bestowed with legend status.

I appreciate that there are options outside the 16 nations who have made the quarter finals in the 2 only relevant contental tournaments.

Serhou Guirassy, Artem Dovbyk, Loïs Openda, Alexander Sorloth and Alexander Isak were the men to make up the top 10 of the European Golden Shoe in 2023/24.

Guirassy, Dovbyk and Sorloth are all journeymen strikers in their late 20s who have just had their first decent season in a top European league. We should not be looking at any of them. Loïs Openda is clearly a talent and will be on the shortlist, whilst Newcastle are unlikely to part ways with Isak.

We have long been linked with the likes of Victor Osimhen, Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres and Ivan Toney. But all of them have been crossed out (on my list at least):

Osimhen (injury concerns)
Sesko (new contract)
Gyokeres (over priced)
Toney (Personality concerns)

Instead of looking to invest heavily in a new forward, an option could be to stick with Havertz. Playing as a striker in the 2nd half of the season, Germany’s first choice forward grabbed himself 8 goals and 7 assists in 13 games. Were he not already at Arsenal, Kai would be someone fans would be calling for us to sign.

Rather than a forward, we could look to add to the “forward line”, and that means buying a wide forward. And there is one man on everyone’s lips right now: Nico Williams.

I have long been a Nico Williams fan. He looks to have it all – power, pace, trickery and technique. At this Euro’s, the rest of the world have begun to realise just how good he is.

Yes, his goals to games is not particularly great right now, but he is still just 21. These will naturally improve as his career progresses and by playing in a more attacking team.

Williams on the left, Havertz in the middle and Saka on the right would be devastating. they would then be backed up by Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard.

For those that might say “harsh on Martinelli”, we will be playing 50+ games next season as we look to compete on all fronts. We should not be scared of having Saka, Williams and Martinelli competing for wide positions, further backed up by Trossard and Jesus.

Signing Williams also would not mean I do not want us to sign a striker. It might just mean we go for someone to back up and compete with Havertz rather than start ahead of them (if finances work, we might still be able to go for Williams and a top striker).

In the last few days, links with Dortmund striker Karim Adeyemi have intensified. The fee being mooted is €30m.

Adeyemi was once one of the hottest young strikers, but he has not really kicked on to that World Class level. He is, however, just 22.

The German striker come winger reminds me a lot of Isak in both the way he plays and the feeling he could jump to the next level. I could certainly see us accommodating Adeyemi as cover and competition for both Havertz and Jesus.

Ultimately, the question is if we can not fund both buying Nico Wiliams and a top striker, which option would you rather?

Keenos

The silver lining of redundancy

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This morning is one of those mornings that makes me grateful for being made redundant 3 years ago.

I had worked for the same company for 15-years. My only real job from leaving university. I had spent the time firstly commuting from Walthamstow to Croydon, and then to Twickenham. 2017 I moved to Loughton and my commute was literally the width of London!

I would be up at 5am, on the train at 5:15 and in the office for 6:45. I would eventually walk back through my door at around 7pm. Looking back, it is crazy just how much time I spent commuting.

When I was told my job would be up for redundancy (my face no longer fit!), I was of course apprehensive. But once I had thought it through I did not fear it.

The equivalent of 7 months salary was on the table, and paid in lieu. That meant no notice period, no gardening leave. I could basically start a job the next day.

Within a week I had accepted a new job, but took the decision to not start until the new year (we were in the back end of October). 12 weeks of chilling and my first Christmas off in my working life (bar when I visited Thailand and Australia over Christmas).

The new company was brilliant, but the chance made me realise I had fallen out of love with recruitment. After 16-years in the industry I decided to look into a new career.

I now write this blog from my garden, enjoying the Essex sunshine. I work from home. Shorter hours, less stress, and earning 25% more. I do not have to be logged on until 9am!

Had it not been for redundancy, I would have had to get up at 5am this morning, hungover, probably still pissed actually! Jump on the Central Line and commute in a boiling hot sardine tin. Battle through a 10 hour day before making the same commute back home.

Working from home is not always great. You can get lonely. I miss the office banter and buzz of winning a deal. But overall my mental health is a lot better.

This year alone I have been to Cairo, Sharm, Munich, Dubrovnik, Riga and Slovenia. I have Malta in October for my 40th and then Prague for Christmas. I would not have done any of these if I were not made redundant.

Last nights England victory deserved a good drink up at the final whistle.

I am not always a huge England fan – I actually prefer our national team playing rugby and cricket. But football does things to our great nation. It brings it together. And it was impossible not to get caught up in last nights celebrations in the pub.

Gareth Southgate is still an average manager in charge of World Class players, and England are in the final despite him, not due to him. But we now back on the boys on Sunday.

And if it all goes well, on Monday morning I will once more be grateful for being redundant.

Never fear change. See redundancy as an opportunity. Back yourself and your ability. Use it as a chance to change your path in life.

Have a great Thursday!

Keenos

Former Arsenal wonderkid looking for EIGTH club

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It shows how quiet things are right now with the fact that Arsenal have a news story titled “Former Arsenal players moving this window”.

It is one of the players near the bottom that caught my eye – Jeff Reine-Adelaide.

It does not seem too long ago that “The Jeff” was an Arsenal wonderkid and expected to take the step up and become a superstar for the club.

I now learn that it was way back in 2016 that Reine-Adelaide had that sparkling performance against Lyon in the Emirates Cup that got everyone talking.

The then 17-year-old Frenchmen had only been at the club about 6 weeks and here he was doing bits for the Arsenal first team in a friendly.

He had an exquisite touch, fantastic vision, power and pace and fabulous technique. He already looked ready.

The next 18-months saw him in and around the first team, making 8 appearances- mainly in cup competitions. Then he picked up an injury that led to a long spell on the sidelines.

Unimpressive on loan with Angers, Arsenal decided to cut their losses with Reine-Adelaide at just 20. His loan deal with Angers lead to a permanent deal with the Ligue 1 club.

Reine-Adelaide quickly established himself as a regular with Angers and after just one full season, French giants Lyon came knocking.

The  £25 million deal led to a lot of Arsenal fans labelling Reine-Adelaide as one that got away. “Wenger will regret release him” many wrote at the time.

He had a solid first season for Lyon, which reinforced some fans opinion that we had made a mistake. Than, after just 1 season, he was loaned out to Nice.

Nice would decline an option in the deal to sign him permanently and Reine-Adelaide would return to Lyon for 2021/22. He would fail to re-establish himself as a first team regular as injuries would continue to hamper him.

Another loan deal then followed in 2022/23 to Troyes. Incredibly he was still just 24 when this deal went through.

Last summer, he looked to force an exit from Lyon and ended up at Belgium side RWD Molenbeek. A one-year deal was signed as he looked to play regular football, rebuild his career and move back to a top European league.

After 20 games in the Belgium pro-League, an option for a one year extension was not taken up and the form Arsenal starlet is now looking for his 8th professional club. He is still only 26.

Reine-Adelaide’s career has been hugely disrupted by injury, which probably explains Arsenal’s decision to let him go on the cheap back in 2018.

I do not remember much mentioned about his injury issues back then. Looking backwards, it feels like we were quiet on the matter so as to not ruin his future career. This led to criticism of the club for releasing such a prestigious talent. We did the right thing taking the punches and staying quiet.

The story of Reine-Adelaide is just one more in a long book of players that looked like a superstar as a teenager but failed to have a senior career of note. And this is why I no longer get hung up when youngsters depart.

Your Jadon Sancho’s of this world are a one off. 99.9% of “wonderkids” to depart top clubs end up having solid careers at a lower level, but never reach that top level. Most do not become Lamine Yamal or Bukayo Saka.

And that brings me onto Amario Cozier-Duberry.

Like Reine-Adelaide, big things were expected of Cozier-Duberry. After failing to play a game for us, the now 19-year-old has joined Brighton.

Cozier-Duberry has moved for first team football – the path to the Brighton starting XI is easier than Arsenal. And this probably highlights where he is right now.

If he was good enough for Arsenal, he would still be at the club and being promoted as the cover and competition for Saka. But he is not good enough for The Arsenal. Only good enough for Brighton.

Like all youngsters that leave us, I wish him all the best in his future career. Young players can quickly find themselves dropping down the leagues and end up playing non-league at 22, looking for a real job with very few qualifications.

What I do not look forward too is Cozier-Duberry scoring a goal in November, having started 4-games for Brighton, and Arsenal fans then crying that Mikel Arteta has lost a generational talent.

It is more likely that Cozier-Duberry has the career of The Jeff than Lamine Yamal.

Have a good Wednesday

Keenos