Tag Archives: Arsenal

8pm Saturday kick offs show Premier League are no better than European Super League proposers

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Morning!

Nearly time for Christmas! Last day at work for most of us. Hats off to all those who will be working over the next 7-days – your retail and hospitality workers, delivery drivers, etc. These unsung heroes do not get the credit they deserve whilst we are all sitting enjoying a few days or weeks off.

Yesterday there were two bits of news that sort of connect – February TV games announced and the new European Super League proposal.

Three of our February Premier League fixtures have been moved:

  • Liverpool at home will now Sunday, 4 February , 4.30pm kick-off.
  • West Ham United away has been moved to a Sunday, 11 February, kicking off at 2pm.
  • Lastly, Newcastle United at the Emirates will be at 8pm on Saturday, 24 February 24.

Now from an Arsenal fans point of view, I am relieved ,sort of.

The long away trip to Burnley remains at 3pm and West Ham at 2pm on a Sunday is decent. The Newcastle game is the only one at an awkward kick off time – but it is a lot worse for Newcastle fans.

And that is my main issue. Kick off times affect all traveling fans – both those traveling from Newcastle and those Arsenal fans that commute in. 8pm on a Saturday is just designed for greed to maximise overseas TV revenue. The 8pm kick off is basically to satisfy our little cousins across the pond.

The last train back for Newcastle fans from London is at 21:00 – just as the second half is kicking off. There is a slightly later (and much longer) train that leaves London at 22:05 and involves a change. This will get them back to Newcastle at 3:20; and they would need to leave at half time to get to Kings Cross in time.

All the bluster from Sky Sports, BT (now TNT) and the Premier League about how they were “standing up for match going fans” back in 2021 when the European Super League last reared its ugly head was just posturing. Neville, Carragher, et al have always turned a blind eye to how match going fans are treated by the company they work for (and yes, I know this game is on TNT. Sky would have a 10pm kick off if they were allowed).

The TV companies do not care about match going fans. They only care about profits.

It will be interesting to see their response to the latest European Super League proposals – also announced yesterday.

My bet is they come out and say “fans have already made it clear that they do not want the European Super League”, ignoring the fact that we have also all made it clear previously that we do not want games with no trains home.

The revamped Super League is as posterous as the one proposed back in 2021.

The investment group behind it have this time attempted to make it seem “more inclusive” by having “promotion and relegation” and including a women’s competition.

The promotion and relegation aspect makes it appear that it will create a “fair opportunity” for teams to qualify, with 20 teams in the “Blue League” (the bottom of pyramid) getting relegated. But this is not the case.

Just 2 out of 16 teams in the “Star League” get relegated to the “Gold League”, and only 2 teams from that leafgue drop down into the bottom Blue League.

So whilst with the Champions League, you could, in theory, have 32 different teams in it each year, you can only have 2 different teams in the Star League from the previous year. It is clearly a ploy to protect the interests of those in the Star League by protecting them with a very low chance of relegation. The turnover of teams will be at the bottom end.

You will also only be promoted into the Blue League if a team from your domestic league gets relegated.

So Aston Villa this season could finish top 4. That will see them qualify for the Champions League. But finishing top 4 would not see them qualify for the European Super League unless an English team finishes in the bottom reaches of the Blue League, which will be highly unlikely.

The criticism of the previous European Super League was it was a closed shop. This incarnation allows others into the basement of the shop, but the big boys are still playing with each other upstairs.

A22 (the investment group behind the European Super League) have also tried to bribe fans by saying “fans would also be able to watch live matches for free on a new digital streaming platform.”

Most fans will see through this and know it will be temporary until they have “bought the market”. It is basically like the “one-year free trail” The Athletic gave out (and many other companies), and then once they decide the free period is over the prices are hiked up.

And even if it was free for life, I would not want it. And it just highlights again that the European Super League is for the TV fans, not the match going fans.

A simply solution for the Premier League, FA, UEFA and FIFA is to make it very clear:

  1. Clubs – If you enter the European Super League, you are excluded from all domestic, UEFA and FIFA competitions.
  2. Players – If you play for a team in the European Super League, you are banned from representing your country.

This will throw the European Super League into chaos as they are trying to “work with domestic leagues” by having promotion and relegation from domestic leagues. If those teams involved no longer play in domestic competition, it will get stale quickly.

At the time of writing, teams are already distancing themselves from the European Super League – Manchester United and Atletico Madrid the two biggest, as well as the Bundesliga as a collective.

Considering PSG refused to get involved in the last version, and English teams would likely be unable to participate under if new legislation is passed in 2024, the potential available particpating teams is quickly shrinking.

Real Madrid and Barcelona will allows push for it. The pair have overspent their way to glory in the last 30 years and are now paying for it. They are both poorly run clubs who in the past have relied on “state aid” to balance their books.

Juventus are another team who are pushing for the European Super League. Juventus were considered to be the leading club in the 2006 Serie A match fixing scandal, alongside AC Milan (another Italian club pushing for the formation of the Super League).

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and AC Milan all blame the Premier League for their huge debt. The reality is they all owe so much because their spending went unregulated and they backed that their countries will bail them out

(note: most of the Premier League sides debt in the table above is associated with stadium and training ground redevelopments, whilst the European sides is mainly money owed in transfers and due to overpaying wages for decades. Debt not secured against an asset.)

Decades of mismanagement and corruption is now catching up with a lot of teams on the continent. It is their fault they are all in such a bad financial situation, not the fault of the Premier League.

If Madrid, Juventus and Barcelona continue to push for the Super League, they will probably find themselves joined by Russian and Turkish teams, maybe Portuguese, as well as others from Eastern Europe. Will there really be any interest in 16 teams playing each other if it excludes English, French and German (I imagine the Dutch will also side with their fellow Central Europeans)? No.

Yes, the Champions League would suffer, but the domestic leagues would thrive in the absence of a top teams in Serie A and La Liga no longer playing each other. These leagues would very quickly die off.

The European Super League is clearly a bad idea. The only silver lining is it sounds like UEFA are scrapping their plans for a revamped Champions League.

My final thought is back in England, and a comment I made earlier.

Sky, TNT Sports, the Premier League do not stick up for match going fans. They only care for their own interests. And having Newcastle fans travel to London for an 8pm Saturday kick off highlights this!

Liverpool tomorrow….

Keenos

Could Arsenal be back in for Chelsea reject?

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Should Arsenal re-ignite their interest in Joao Felix?

I originally wrote much of this blog in the January transfer window.

Arsenal were linked heavily with a 6 month loan move for Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix. He ended up at Chelsea.

Felix’s Chelsea career go off to the worst start possible – sent off after just 58 minutes on debut. Up to that point he was easily the best player on the pitch v Fulham.

He would be suspensed for the next 3 Premier League games, before returning against West Ham and grabbing his first goal.

The Portuguese midfielder would end up with 4 league goals and 0 assists from 16 games.

He would start just once in the final 8 league games of his loan spell Frank Lampard. And only complete 90 minutes on 3 occassions.

Felix performed poorly in a Chelsea team that was performing poorly, managed by one of the worst managers the Premier League has ever seen. Chelsea decided not to make the loan deal permanent.

Having missed out on Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk in January, Arsenl recruited Leandro Trossard.

Trossard has turned out to be a solid acqusition. But the door is still open for us to make a “mega” attacking signing this summer. Could Felix still be on the target list?

Joao Felix is still just 23-years-old, and he should not be judged on his team at Chelsea. Lampard would have made Thierry Henry look like Yaya Sanogo.

His loan deal at Chelsea still would have given Arsenal some fantastic scouting data when considering whether to move for him this summer.

He showed glimpses of his natural talent whilst playing for Chelsea, and he would certainly tick that box of being able to play out wide and up top. Both Edu and Mikel Arteta are known to highly rate the Portuguese attacker.

Felix’s career has not quite ignited since his €126million move to Atletico Madrid.

This shouldn’t be a surprise considering the free flowing attacker joined the most defensive team the world has ever seen.

Persistent injuries and the return of Antoine Griezmann – who he was signed to replace.

The Portuguese attacked has the technical ability and work rate to play in Arteta’s Arsenal. And you would like to think that Arteta and his coaching team’s renowned one-to-one training will help him reach his potential.

Felix has been around a long time, and some fans are already writing him off. This is crazy when you compare it to the hype Rafael Leao gets as one of Europe’s best young attacking talents. Felix is younger than his Portuguese team mate.

There will be some questioning how Felix would fit in at Arsenal. That should not be a question.

It would give us the option of Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Trossard, Eddie Nketiah and Felix as the primary options in the front 3 positions. 2 players for every position.

I have excluded Emile Smith Rowe as I imagine if we bring someone like Felix in, he will be sold.

His recruitment would allow Arteta to rest and rotate his front 3, and give us more options on the bench.

The issue with Felix has always been Atletico’s huge asking price.

In January, Atletico were been demanding a €15million loan fee for the 4-5 month period, and for loaning club to pay his full wages for the period. This would have taken the deal to over €21million. A huge outlay for a few months work.

Arsenal decided not to go for the deal whilst Chelsea jumped at the chance. Felix’s red against Fulham increased the “cost per game” for Chelsea.

Before loaning Felix to Chelsea, Atletico extended his deal to 2027, inserting a €350million. Of course, we will not be spending anywhere near this amount on him.

Transfermarkt currently value Felix at €50.00m (£43m), and you feel this would be the figure that would interest Arsenal.

But that would see Atletico make a €76m loss on him.

My gut is Atletico would want to get a lot closer to €100m. A fee that no one would agree to considering his stagnation over the last 24 months.

With 4-years left on his deal, Felix could become one of these “fore hire” players, spending 2-3 years out on loan. Each loan coming with a €15m loan fee. Atletico then recoup must of their expenditure through those fees (note: €15m a year is the amortised yearly equivalent of signing a €75m player).

In the not to distant future, when Felix either has 1 or 2 years left on his deal, Atletico then cash in. Sell him for the €50m he is currently value at – with those loan fees being added to their final income for him.

Would I take Felix on loan for a year for €15m? Probably not. But if we could get him at €50m transfer fee, then we should have a conversation.

If the maths work out, we could end up recruiting Trossard and Felix for the total potential price Chelsea are paying for Mudryk.

Do not write this one off.

Keenos

Arsenal linked with half a dozen players in 24 hours as silly season begins…

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The 2022/23 season is not even cold yet and transfer silly season has already began.

The Declan Rice talk has been non-stop since Christmas. The latest rumour being that the two clubs are a long way apart on valuation, but the deal would probably happen.

Then we have Moises Caicedo. Apparently Brighton expect Arsenal to pay the fee. Whatever that is.

Elye Wahi is a new name to me. Google shows he scored 17 league goals in Ligue 1 last season. 3 less than Folarin Balogun.

Next up it is Arda Guler. Nope. Me neither.

We are also chasing Leeds United’s Wilfried Gnonto and Brazilian “wonderkid” Marcos Leonardo.

Then there is the talk of William Saliba’s wage demands “shocking” the Arsenal board.

And all of this in the last 24 hours.

With fees quoted, I make it over £300m spent by Arsenal on the 6 players mentioned above. At least we will recoup some of it when we sell Saliba to whoever we will be linked with today.

How about we get involved in a bit of fun? Vote Arsenal for biggest overachievers this season.

We used to be the kings of Twitter polls, but Newcastle look to have taken that crown in recent months.

Winning a poll means nothing. But it is just a bit of fun! At the time of posting we only had 35% of the vote.

Enjoy your Thursday. It really is going to be a long summer…

Keenos