League Cup Tickets

If you were not aware, you have until 8am Thursday morning to reserve your season ticket seat.

The club have failed to email fans about the deadline and the deadline was buried half way down the news article about the fixture. It should have been the first line.

The date of the game was only officially announced yesterday which is why the news on ticketing is so late.

Questions need to be asked of clubs, authorities and TV companies as to why a draw which took place 2 weeks ago only had the exact day of fixtures announced yesterday.

Sky et al spent a long time earlier this year making a point about how fans mattered; but clearly now things are returning to normal, they have also returned to normal.

Taking 2 weeks to decide when a fixture takes place is clearly not good enough and not fair on those fans who need to make travel arrangements.

Mohamed Elneny & Sead Kolasinac Exits

Today the Turkish transfer window shuts. It will be the last realistic chance for either Mohamed Elneny or Sead Kolasinac to depart the club before January.

Reports were yesterday that Arsenal had rejected an approach for Elneny from Galatasaray.

Details of the offer have not materialised, but Arsenal should not sell him “on the cheap”.

Yes, he only has 1 year left on his contract, but it is not true that “any transfer fee is better than no transfer fee”.

Elneny is only on £52,000 a week, so we are not in a huge rush to get his salary off the wage bill. Any transfer would have to suit us.

It would be better to keep Elneny as part of the squad for the next 12 months rather than lose him for a couple of million (or even a loan deal).

I would imagine Galatasaray would have to offer us at least £5million for the deal to be financially worthwhile (including the wage saving Arsenal would end up around £7.5million up).

Kolasinac is a bit different as he is set to cost us around £6million this year; and is also less likely to play than Elneny.

The Bosnian is 3^rd choice left back so really will not see any game time this season.

I would imagine if a loan offer for him came in today we would accept it.

Charlie Patino

There is a lot of hype around young Charlie Patino this morning.

Sean O’Connor, the scout that discovered Jack Wilshere, has claimed the Patino is “the best player who has ever walked through the doors at Hale End”.

Regular readers of my blog will know how much I try and protect young players from being overhyped.

We have seen it in recent years with Jeff Reinne-Adeilade & Gedion Zelalem. Both hyped up as Jack’s heir apparent. Neither went on to fulfil the potential they showed in pre-season Emirates Cup games.

We also have Miguel Azeez.

12 months ago he was the next golden boy of the Arsenal academy. He has yet to have his opportunity and some fans have already moved on to Patino.

Before Patino gets his chance to show what he can do in the first team, Azeez will get his opportunity.

If you want a view of Patino from someone who has actually seen him, this is a great blog from friend of the site Willow.

Folarin Balogun has shown how big the step up is from youth football to senior.

Patino is just 17. Let’s not stick rush him into our first team plans.

Keenos

So that is the transfer window shut. Some highs and lows. Probably the right players bought, but not really the right players sold. But that is another blog for another day.

With the players we still have at the club, how will Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal line up (with everyone fit?):

Most Logical – 4231

4231 is the most logical line-up with the players we have.

I have excluded the keeper on all of these as I do not want the Leno v Ramsdale debate to side track the discussion of the 10 outfield players.

On that, Bernd Leno will be first choice this season with Aaron Ramsdale given some game time in the cups.

This would be Arteta’s most balanced side.

A proper back 4 with all playing in a natural position. Balance in midfield between Thomas Partey’s power and pressing alongside Granit Xhaka’s passing and control.

Further forward we have the creativity of Martin Odegaard in the middle with Nicolas Pepe and Bukayo Saka either side; and upfront Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Whilst it is not the perfect XI, and will create a debate over Pepe and Xhaka (see Alterative XI), this is the time that I feel Arteta will play if all fit.

Alternative XI – 4231

The 2 debates over the most logical XI is Pepe and Xhaka.

Had business gone as we wanted this summer, Xhaka would no longer be with the club and would have been replaced. But no significant bids came in and he ended up staying, getting a new contract and getting the captains armband in the opening game.

Some will argue that Albert-Sambi Lokonga should start ahead of him. I am against this for 2 reasons.

The first is that Sambi is just a youngster. It is clearly too early for him to come in and be expected to play week in week out. Let him develop and get up to Premier League standard.

Secondly I think a midfield of Partey and Lokonga will lack any real control.

Both are power and pressing; neither are great passers. You need a Xhaka in there to maintain the balance.

The second change is moving Saka over to the right and playing Smith Rowe on the left.

I have seen a lot of XI’s produced with the pair in the team ahead of Pepe.

Whilst it does excite me, I do question if an attacking midfield of Saka Odegaard Smith Rowe will have enough goals in it.

Last season in the Premier League, Pepe scored 10 goals. Saka, Smith Rowe and Odegaard scored 8 between them.

Taking into account scoring was a huge issue for us last season, removing our highest scoring midfielder will only compound the problem.

We would need a drastic improvement from Saka, Smith Rowe and Odegaard in the goals department, and I am nut sure if any of them have it in them.

A Complete Change – 343

If Arteta decides to implement a complete change and move to the 343 that saw us lift the FA Cup, he would have plenty of selection headaches.

343 would see new right back Takehiro Tomiyasu slot into the right hand side of defence with Ben White and Gabriel making up the back 3. But would this be our best line-up?

As I write this I wonder if Rob Holding would be best off playing in the centre of the 3 with White to his right; therefore ensuring our best header of the ball is on the pitch and in the middle of the back 3.

So then what was the point of signing Tomiyasu if he would not play in what is perhaps his best position on the right hand side of a 3.

Cast aside Ainsley Maitland-Niles also returns. He is our best wing back and his defensive frailties are not exposed with a back 3 behind him. Tierney would start left.

In the middle we have Xhaka and Partey. Read the debate above about Lokonga if you wished to play the Belgium over Xhaka.

The front 3 was a headache.

You have no natural number 10; so Odegaard would either have to play deeper in the midfield 2 or out wide. Neither of these positions suit him.

Would Odegaard be better out wide then Pepe, Smith Rowe or Saka? I think not. So why sign him?

You also have the Aubameyang / Alex Lacazette factor that we have not yet discussed.

Aubameyang looked deadly in a 343 when we played it; so does he come on the left with Lacazette in middle? But this then leaves just one Saka, Pepe or Smith Rowe playing on the right hand side.

I think if we went down this route, we would see Pepe, Aubameyang and Saka in the forward 3 positions.

I think we will see 4231 with everyone fit.

Hopefully Arteta works out his best team and sticks with it.

One issue under Arteta has been the chopping and changing of personnel and tactics. This leads to lack of continuity in play.

Pick your tactics, your best XI, and play them.

Keenos