What a difference a year makes as just 3 remain from that night in Brentford

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The media, and Sky Sports in particular, love a narrative.

So it was no surprise when Crystal Palace v Arsenal was picked as the opening fixture of the 2022/23 season.

12-ish months ago, Arsenal travelled to another London club on a Friday night for the 2021/22 opening game. As one media outlet has since put it “the Gunners were humiliated”.

That night in 2021, a Covid-hit Arsenal team gave Sky their big opening day story of the season – with Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville almost jumping into the crowd to join the celebrations.

When you add in that Arsenal lost 3-0 at Selhurst Park last season and have beaten the Eagles just once in the last seven games, putting us on Friday night is clearly an attempt to create an opening day story.

But what a difference a year makes.

Of the XI that started that night against Brentford, just 3 are expected to be in the starting line-up tomorrow night.

Ben White, Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli are likely to be the only survivors of the Arsenal team from that night.

Of the starting XI that started against Brentford, Kieran Tierney is the only other star that is still considered a first team regular – he is out injured for tomorrow.

Bernd Leno and Calum Chambers have since both been sold, whilst Pablo Mari is likely to be playing for a new club in the next seven days having only played once more for Arsenal since that Brentford game.

Albert Sambi Lokonga – who had only just joined as an Arsenal player – will be “relegated” to the bench versus Palace.

Emile Smith Rowe ended up having a breakthrough season, but like Tierney he will miss tomorrow injured.

Nicholas Pepe is somehow still at the club, whilst Folarin Balogun has been loaned out to Reims in France.

And it was not just the starting XI that has been ripped apart, but the bench too.

Coming off the bench that disastrous night were Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson and Nuno Tavares.

The first was clearly unfit that night, the second will be at a new club before the window shuts and the 3rd already loaned out.

Hector Bellerin, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Karl Hein also took a seat on the bench that night. None of whom would finish last season at the club.

In-fact, of the 20 players in the match day squad, 7 players would finish the season at a different club.

Now it was a Covid-hit team (this was before the Premier League decided to postpone games because a couple of Spurs fans had the sniffles).

Covid ruled out our teams 3 most senior players – Alexander Lacazette, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and Willian. None of which are at the club anymore.

Leno, Chambers, Mari, Pepe and Balogun would go on to make a combined 9 more Premier League starts for Arsenal in 2021/22.

Since that frightful day, we have recruited a new goal keeper (Ramsdale), right back (Tomiyasu) and left back (Zinchenko), whilst William Saliba has returned from his loan deal.

We also added a new attacking midfielder (Odergaard) and striker (Jesus). The team that will start tomorrow night against Palace shows a huge shift:

Ramsdale
White Saliba Gabriel Zinchenko
Partey
Odergaard Xhaka
Saka Jesus Martinelli

Now Sky Sports might get their story tomorrow night. It might all go wrong after a very positive pre-season for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

But no one can deny that Arsenal are a very different club from where we were 12 months ago.

Nevilla said shortly after the Brentford defeat that he did not really understand Arsenal’s recruitment policy.

Ramsdale, White, Odergaard, Jesus and Zinchenko clearly shows that Edu was targetting players with Premier League experience.

Whilst Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares mean that almost every player we signed were 25 and under.

This is a clear plan of Edu signing players that are ready now, but also capable of being part of the next 5-8 years of Arsenal.

I am buzzing for tomorrow. Will probably get to a pub in London Bridge early doors. And hopefully this “new Arsenal” get us off to a winnign start.

Keenos

Arsenal do the right thing letting Leno go on the cheap

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Welcome to the second instalment of “writing blogs from my garden whilst on leave”.

Todays is basically a sequel of yesterdays as once again the only relevant Arsenal news is departing players.

Firstly the Bernd Leno deal was confirmed late last night.

The figures are nothing to shout out about. A few million upfront then a few more million if Fulham stay in the Premier League.

This has led to the doom mongers to wake up after a fairly positive summer. Spreading negativity to feed their hunger of attention.

Some have gone as far to say “at that price we should have kept Leno”. This shows a complete lack of understanding of football.

Yes, Leno was under contract so in theory we could have forced him to see that out. But what value would there have been on that?

If Aaron Ramsdale picks up an injury, we would then be selecting an unmotivated player who does not want to be here as a replacement. And in a position that is as much about mentality as is it physicality.

Forcing Leno to stay would have been a disaster.

Fans always forget about the players when it comes to transfers. They just want to move (or not move).

Leno has sat patiently for the last 12 months barely playing. He has been the ultimate professional by doing so.

30-years-old, nearly 500 senior games, a World Cup in 4 months. We have shown him great respect by allowing him to leave cheap rather than forcing him to stay.

Leno won his last German cap in 2021. Whilst Arsenal’s number one, he was a regular in their squad. The only way he gets on the plane to Qatar is through regular playing. That will not happen at Arsenal.

A move to Fulham means he will be a regular starter from day one in a league he knows. He will not have to move from his London home. And he will have an outside chance of making that German team.

We already have a replacement in Matt Turner who will do a job (and be happy as) a number two.

Instead of criticising Edu (and oddly Mikel Arteta – who does not negotiate transfers), let’s thank Leno for his time at Arsenal and wish him luck in the future.

The other player set to leave looks to be Charlie Patino.

The starlet is set to join Blackpool on loan.

It will be a good move for the youngster who looked well off senior pace against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup last season.

He has put on some muscle since then and hopefully plying regularly in the Championship will get him used to the physical side of mens football.

Patino is still just 18 and sometimes we forget how tough it is to transition from youth team to senior football. Not everyone can be Bukayo Saka or Jack Wilshere.

Emile Smith Rowe was a similarly talented, gangly attacking player. During 6 months of Championship football with Huddersfield he grew as a player and into a man.

Hopefully Patino follows this path and becomes the player his talent deserves.

Continuing development away from the constant gaze of Arsenal’s Twitter analysts will not be a bad thing.

Enjoy your Wednesday.

Keenos

More departures confirmed as Arsenal clear out continues

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Morning all from garden as I take in a few minutes of fresh Essex air ahead of a few days off!

As expected, all the noise around Arsenal is players leaving.

On Saturday it was confirmed Nuno Tavares was off to Marseille on loan. This was quickly followed by the announcement of Folarin Balogun being set to join French club Reims.

It will be a good move for the (not so) youngster as he will get first team football at a lower level in France.

Arsenal will be keeping an eye on his development as well as the performances of Eddie Nketiah. You feel there is only room at the club for one of these in 12 months time.

Also with one foot out of the door is Bernd Leno.

The German keeper has been patient and respectful over the last year despite losing his starting spot.

Some have complained that Leno to Matt Turner is a big step down for second choice keepers, and it is. But then Leno was never really a second choice keeper.

Still only 30, he has played nearly 500 senior games for club and country with his last cap coming in 2021. I really do wish him well.

The last exit reported yesterday was Lucas Torreira who seems off to Galatasaray. I am just glad he is gone.

He has clearly had no intention of playing for us and we had no intention of playing him. I hope he rebuilds his career somewhere.

Leno and Torreira’s departures will be the last of those players signed by Sven Mislintat.

I have a blog written for later in this week (written some months ago) about the disaster of Mislintat and the money he wasted.

We are moving so much better in the transfer market now and we need to start putting more respect on Edu and his team.

I wouldn’t be surprised if another couple of departures are confirmed this week.

Enjoy your Tuesday.

Keenos