Arsenal late lurch for Eze makes Tottenham laughing stock of North London

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And just as the doom and gloom merchants are coming back from their Benidorm breaks, Arsenal do something magical!

I honestly thought the Eberechi Eze deal was dead.

We were struggling to sell the players needed to free up squad space. With Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Noni Madueke, Ethan Nwaneri, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson, we already had 8 options for 3 positions. It was clear Eze would only come in if departures happened.

Then the new contract for Trossard was announced.

I was always of the view that if Eze came in, it would be as a replacement for Trossard – someone to be cover on the left wing and also be an attacking option more centrally. Trossard’s new deal seemed to kill off the idea.

And then you had Tottenham.

They looked set to swoop for Eze, a long term target of theirs. And with James Maddison out for the season, Eze would be a guaranteed started for them in a World Cup year – something he would not be for The Arsenal.

In the time it takes to refresh your Twitter timeline, the world went from doom and gloom over Arsenal to excitement and piss taking.

I get those that did not really understand the new deal for Trossard. More money but no more years. It confused many.

I tried to make sense of it and the only thing I could think is Mikel Arteta wanted him to stay (the contract was on the table since early summer), but Trossard was getting sniffed around by clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia – he nearly left to Saudi Arabia last year.

Not wanting him to kick up a stink and try and leave, the decision was then made to increase his salary at Arsenal to keep him happy. But the club did not want him to have a contract beyond his 33rd year on this planet, so it was decided to offer the raise on existing terms.

That ensured a key player was kept happy and committed for two years, and not agitating for a move away. Had we not offered Trossard the contract, the options were:

  1. Sell and replace him. His replacement would likely cost more and come in on the money Trossard wants, whilst then needing to be integrated into the team
  2. Keep Trossard and risk that he becomes demotivated and downs tools

The payrise on the same years feels like the best deal all around. But I get it if some are still scratching their heads.

Then the news came through that Kai Havertz had picked up an injury and, worryingly, no time frame for return had been declared. This led to concerns around fans about only having Viktor Gyorekes as our forward option (with Gabriel Jesus also out injured).

It felt yesterday that moral amongst fans was lower then it should have been having seen us beat Man U 1-nil at Old Trafford, and spend close to £200m on new players following three-peating 2nd place.

And just as we were tucking into our dinner (mine was sausage omelette and hash browns), the news broke: Arsenal have reached an agreement in principle to sign Eberechi Eze.

It was not only the news that Arsenal were about to sign Eze that got the world rumbling with excitement, it was that we had seemingly snatched him from Spurs’ grasp at the last minute.

2 weeks ago it looked like Eze was off to Tottenham. Terms with the player had been agreed and they were negotiating the final aspects of the deal with Palace. But the deal had stalled. And now we all know why.

Arsenal was always Eze’s preferred option. We had clearly let both him and Palace know that we were still planning to come in for him if they were patient. So they stalled the deal.

Any movement from us was contingent on a player or 3 departing. But that has not happened. So why have we moved so quickly?

Well, firstly, Palace and Eze would only stall so long before taking the Tottenham deal. There might have been a feeling that had Arsenal not come in before the end of this week, the Spurs deal would be wrapped up.

But then you also have the Havertz injury.

Arsenal already had 26 senior players that needed to be registered with the Premier League. The maximum you could have is 25. That always meant that new signings would either need to see departures happen, or the club decide not to register a senior professional. And the club would have been very reluctant to do the latter due to the squad disharmony it could create.

No new players in would mean we only needed to shift one player to make the squad balance (although more were likely to leave).

Havertz injury looks like it could be long-term. If he is out beyond Christmas, he will not be registered in the first half of the year. That means we would be in the exact same situation if we signed someone – only needing to sell one.

The injury to Havertz basically “free’d up” the squad place for the recruitment of Eze.

Getting Eze not only improves our squad and gives us another attacking option, it also makes Tottenham the job of North London.

From Petit to Campbell, and now Eze, anyone that ever questioned who was the biggest club has now had the answer firmly thrown in their face.

North London has always been red. It always will be red. And those Middlesex swamp dwellers can cry into the pints they will be having in Waltham Cross, Broxbourne and Cheshunt.

Enjoy your Thursdsay!

Keenos

The “instant results” era of football leads fans to judge players to quickly

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Expecting instant results is a cultural phenomenon in the digital age.

This expectation is fueled by the speed and immediacy of online interactions and the constant availability of information and services. The likes of Amazon with their “same day delivery” and your food delivery company being able to get you your KFC or McDonalds within 20 minutes of ordering without leaving the couch.

It has led to many having a misconception of time. They order from somewhere not Amazon and they are emailing the day after their order, demanding to know where it is, having not read the shipping which clearly explains they are buying from a small company and dispatch is 3-5 working days.

They sit in a high-end restaurant and have to wait 45 minutes for their main course to be prepared and served, not realising that their meal is being cooked fresh and they are in a TGI Fridays where everything is frozen and flash-fried for 10 minutes.

This high expectation of immediacy leads to complaints against the shop, restaurant and service provider from the customer, when in fact it is the customer who is in the wrong as they have not allowed themselves to appreciate that sometimes things take time.

And we are seeing this expectation of immediate results come through in football.

After one game, fans are already bantering off Florian Wirtz and labelling Tijjani Reijnders as the better signing. Likewise, they are already calling Viktor Gyokeres a flop.

We now live in a society where opinions are built after one game, and if a player is not scoring or assisting in their debut then they are automatically labelled a flop.

The expectation of instant results is amplified by social media leading fans to focus on batner rather than fact. It is all about mocking an opposing a team rather than allowing yourself to build a deeper understanding of football. And I also appreciate that many on social media are under 18 so all they understand is childish banter, as they are children – and they would not yet have that deeper understanding.

You also have the sad adults who rely on boosting their own moral through e-likes. They are bottom-tier fans who do not have the intelligence to engage in discussion and debate, so always go to banter.

Now Reijnders might prove to be a better signing than Wirtz, and at £45m I beleive he could be one of the signings on the summer. But I am basing this opinion not on one game but on last season at AC Milan.

To get a player of his quality, someone who was named the best midfielder in Serie A last season, so cheap is great business. But lets wait beyond the first game to make comparisons between the Premier League careers of Wirtz and Reijnders.

Likewise, the criticism of Gyokeres is laughable.

I have often said that Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, amongst others, would not survive in the “instant success era”. They were heavily criticised back in the 90s for their slow starts to their Arsenal careers. That criticism would have been amplified 100 times in the social media era. Both went on to become Arsenal legends.

Now I am not saying that Gyokeres will become an Arsenal legend on the level of Henry and Bergkamp, but as Arsenal fans we should know the history of the club and not be writing off a player after one appearance.

We also should not be spending time bantering opponents because they signed someone who did not “bang” from gameweek 1. But of course, as explained, some fans do not have the mental aptitude to involve themselves in conversations beyond banter and simple

And if you are one of those who demand instant success from others, whether it be an online shop, a resturant or your favourite footballer, why are you not applying the same level of expectation to your own life?

By your own bar, you should be a multi, multi-billionaire. And if you are not by the time you are 30, you have failed in life. But of course, you do not apply the same level of success to your life. And infact holding others to a high stand means that you can knock them down and present them as failures, even if they are not. You live to bring others down to your level rather than trying to raise your own life up.

So what sort of fan are you? Someone with intelligence who does not judge a player after one game?
Someone who is bottom tier and does not have the intelligence to contribute more then just banter to a discussion?
Or one of life’s failures who would rather drag others down to their level by labelling them failures rather than focusing on building themselves up?

Let us know in the comments.

Keenos

Arsenal fans succombing to “shiny new toy syndrome”

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Shiny new toy syndrome – The tendency to be distracted by something new, often abandoning existing items that may not be inferior.

We all remember being kids, or having kids, and getting a new toy. You would immediately stop playing with your favourite toy and start playing with the new one. But after a while that new toy would become boring and you would either go back to your old favourite, or begin pining for another new toy. Parents would be frustrated that the new toy they have invested in has been so quickly thrown away.

And it is the same with football.

Fans often get obsessed with what their clubs are spending. And would often call for players who are not actually an improvement on those currently in the squad. They want a shiny new toy to watch. And after 2-3 months, when they realise the new fella is not as good as the old fella, they will be calling for changes to make, or criticising management if the old fella has been sold.

And it certainly feels like that is where we are at with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.

Fans’ frustration has led to calls for players who are inferior to Martinelli and Leandro . Wanting something just because it is “new” despite it not being superior to what you currently have is a symptom of shiny new toy syndrome.

Whilst we are still crying out for a new left winger, we blogged back in May, it is not an easy position for us to improve. And the situation has not been resolved.

The headache for Arsenal is who could come in that would be an immediate upgrade on Martinelli. And the answer has always been not many players.

Gabi is not the bad player many make him out to be. He is a fantastic left-winger and has scored 51 goals in 225 games for us. Yes, he has had a tough last season, and has perhaps not kicked on from 2022/23, but that does not make him a bad player.

In my view, he is probably that level below World Class. And that means that only really the best left wingers in the world would be an improvement on him.

Eberechi Eze is one name we have been heavily linked to this summer. But Eze is not a left winger.

The Englishman’s best performances for Crystal Palace have been playing centrally. And Palace fans will tell you he is less effective out wide. Eze is certainly not a natural left winger and would not be an upgrade on Martinelli.

He would be a good option to replace Trossard however as a back up left winger and an attacking option more centrally.

Another man we have often been linked to over the years is Rafael Leao. I have never really been a fan.

Leao is not a team player. He reminds me of Cody Gakpo in that he wants to play high on the left and not have to worry about being involved in the team play. Lazy in defence, he just wants to sit on the half way line, on the half turn, ready to attack.

Whilst this might work for AC Milan, and worked for Gakpo at PSV, it would not work at the top level of the Premier League where attackers need to put in a defensive shift. And you only have to see how Gakpo has for regular starts for Liverpool in his 2 and a half seasons at the club to highlight why a “selfish” attacker is not suitable for the 90 minutes.

On top of that, I do not think Leao is much better than Martinelli in attack. Yes, he might be more pleasing on the eye, but his output is not much better than our Brazilian. And then you have to consider that with Milan, he only needs to focus on attacking and much of their play goes through him on the left hand side.

Leao would be a perfect example of a shiny new toy. Someone who we would all get excited over, but quickly realise is no better than the old toy we have mentally cast away.

I have also seen Arsenal fans cry out for the likes of Savinho, Mohammed Kudus, and Jamie Gittens. The latter two moving to Tottenham and Chelsea respectively.

I have seen claims made over the weekend that all 3 would all start at elft wing for Arsenal. But is this true?

A great response I read to those saying Savinho is a better left wing option that Martinelli was: Which of Savinho’s 1 league goal last season was your favourite.

And that really highlights some Arsenal fans affliction with shiny new toy syndrome. It is not about having a top class left winger. It is just about having a left winger that is not Gabriel Martinelli. Even if they are inferior.

Martinelli had that tough season last year, but he still scored 8 goals in 33 games. Meanwhile, Savinho scored 1in 29 games, playing predominantly right wing. Mohammed Kudus scored just 5. Are any of these really an upgrade in Martinelli?

As for Jamie Gittens, I liked him and would not have minded us going for him. But at 21 he is still very raw, and would have been more suited to being cover and competition for Martinelli than an instant replacement. He does have the potential to become better than Gabi.

This is shown by Chelsea already looking at both Xavi Simons and Alejandro Garnacho. Both of whom start ahead of Gittens on the left. And £50m is a huge fee for someone who only really made his breakthrough last season. And scored the same amount of goals as Martinelli.

We also have Rodrygo. I have always scratched my head with him and felt that were he to join Arsenal, he would have to be for a deal that suits us.

At Real Madrid, Rodrygo plays right wing. The theory is he is better suited to the left but is forced to play out of position due to Vinicius Junior. But this is all just theory.

In 6 seasons with Real Madrid, Rodrygo has played on the left in just 33 La Liga games. That is compared to 83 on the right and 50 up top. The data does not exist that he is a world class winger waiting to break out.

And a deal close to £100m, and a contract of £350k a week, is huge sums to pay on a theory. And he is a player with just 6 La Liga goals last season…

Yes, he might do an Alexis Sanchez and explode when he becomes more of the main man (although Sanchez’s talent was a lot more obvious for everyone). But what is more likely is that he proves for Arsenal the same as what he has proved for Real Madrid. That he is a decent utility man capable of playing across the front 3, but not really good enough to regularly hold down a single position as his own.

“But Pep wants him so he must be good” – And Pep is well known for massively rotating his forward players and liking a couple of utility players in his squad
“Liverpool also want him” – Like Pep, Both Klopp and Slott have rotated the two “non-Salah” forwards, with none of Nunez, Jota, Diaz or Gakpo regularly playing. Rodrygo would fit this mould, being able to play left, right or centre where he is needed.

Arsenal do not need a utility forward providing us with an option on the left, right or centre. We need a top class left winger who would be an upgrade on Martinelli. And I have not always been convinced that Rodrygo is that.

I am not saying that we can not improve on Martinelli. What I am saying is that the market of players that would improve on him is small. And that if we are demanding us spend big in the last week and a half of the transfer window, it has to be on someone who could come in and improve straight away.

We are not Manchester City who can spend £100m on Jack Grealish, then £55m on Doku, and now looking to spend another £80m on Rodrygo. We can not just chuck money and 3-4 players to fix a position and hope one turns out alright.

Nor should we do a Chelsea whom seem to make a signing (Gittens, Delap), then make another signing that immediately usurps them (Garnacho potentially and Pedro). This after they usurped other players of a similar level already (Madueke and Jackson). You adopt this policy and whilst you have plenty of new toys, non are really that much better than what you previously had.

The players I like are Raphina and Bradley Barcola. These might be gettable. But not this summer.

Other wingers, such as Vinicius Jr, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Lamine Yamal, Michael Olise and Desire Doue are unobtainable.

We could talk about Antony Gordon, Maghnes Akliouche, Kaoru Mitoma, Antonie Semenyo or Malick Fofana. But none of these would be an upgrade on Martinelli. They would be coming in as squad players.

And as we have seen this summer with the links of Madueke, Kudus, Gittens and Elanaga, as well as Cunha and Mbeumo, this level winger is still costing £50m+.

A new left winger is still my preferred option. But new does not automatically mean better. And a lot of the players I see us linked with are simply not better than Martinelli.

Who would you like us to sign? Let us know why in the comments.

Keenos