Tag Archives: Arsenal

Arsenal v Coventry: Champions v Champions under Friday night lights

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There’s nothing quite like the first game of a new Premier League season. Everyone’s on zero points, everyone’s got a fresh excuse for optimism, and suddenly every summer signing looks like the missing piece.

For Arsenal, though, Friday night is a little different. They’re not just starting a new campaign — they’re starting the defence of their Premier League title. The Gunners welcome newly promoted Coventry City to the Emirates, with Mikel Arteta’s side expected to get off to a winning start.

And if Arsenal’s Community Shield performance is anything to go by, Coventry could have picked a slightly nicer fixture for their return to the big time.

Arsenal were excellent against Manchester City last weekend, cruising to a 3-0 victory and looking every inch a side ready to go again. Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Martin Ødegaard got the goals, while new signing Christos Tzolis made an immediate impression with two assists.

That’s probably the biggest headache for Coventry. Arsenal have quality all over the pitch, and they now have even more depth to work with.

Bruno Guimarães is the headline addition, arriving from Newcastle in a £75m deal, although there is a question mark over whether he’ll feature after picking up a leg issue in the Community Shield. Declan Rice may also be managed carefully after only playing 45 minutes last weekend.

Still, even with a couple of players missing or being eased in, Arsenal have plenty of weapons. Bukayo Saka, Ødegaard and Havertz can cause serious problems, while the home side should be looking to dominate possession and pin Coventry back.

For Coventry, this is about as tough as Premier League returns get.

After 25 years away from the top flight, Frank Lampard’s side have been handed a trip to the reigning champions on the opening night. They then face Manchester City in their next fixture, so the fixture computer really hasn’t shown much sympathy.

But that might actually make this a free hit for Coventry. Nobody seriously expects them to stroll into the Emirates and boss Arsenal, so Lampard’s team can simply go out there, compete and see what happens.

Coventry have also invested heavily over the summer, reportedly spending around £100m on new recruits as they prepare for life back in the Premier League. They’ve got every intention of staying up rather than treating this as a one-season adventure.

The key for them will be surviving the early pressure. If they can frustrate Arsenal for the first 20 or 30 minutes, the crowd could get a little twitchy. But if Arsenal score early, it could become a very long evening.

So, what’s the prediction?

It’s difficult to look past Arsenal here. The champions are at home, they’ve already shown good form, and they’ve got the confidence that comes with finally winning the title last season.

Coventry will give it a go, and there’s every chance they make things awkward for a while. But over 90 minutes, Arsenal should simply have too much.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Coventry.

A new season, a new challenge and, Arsenal fans will hope, another title charge. Not a bad way to kick things off.

DJ

Arsenal’s high net spend “a credit to clubs buying strategy”

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A lot has been written over recent years about Arsenal having a larger net spend than its rivals. This always comes from a negative standpoint in an attempt to highlight that Arsenal are the “biggest spenders” and therefore should not have additional praise for beating Manchester City, Chelsea, et al to the Premier League title.

Now I concede that over the years, Arsenal have not been the best sellers.

Our club record sale still remains Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at around £35m. That is clearly not great. And this is further compounded by us getting nothing for the likes of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, Mesut Ozil, Sead Kolasinac, Alexandre Lacazette, Hector Bellerin, Nicolas Pepe, Kieran Tierney and Ainsley Maitland-Niles in recent years.

One area where we certainly need to improve is in the selling of academy graduates.

Had we sold them earlier, the likes of Maitland-Niles, Reiss Nelson could have pocketed us in excess of £30m. Instead we held on, offered big new contracts and, if Nelson leaves for nothing this summer, got £0 for them. This is why I would not be upset to see Ethan Nwaneri depart this summer if Mikel Artera does think think he quite has it.

But there is another side to this “net spend” coin that is rarely talked about – having a high net spend would show that you have actually bought well.

Now I do not know the accuracy of this image. The Manchester City figure does feel a very low. But on the face of it, the tweet shows that Arsenal have been poor in the transfer market, having a net spend nearly £700m more than Man City. Chelsea fans have also posted similar infographics in recent years.

The story these sort of graphics do not tell, however, is that many teams who have a high total sales do so because they have bought poorly, and those sales are them dumping players that did not work out.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have bought brilliantly since 2021, had very little turnover of players and therefore very little need to sell. The result is a settled squad which led to the first title in 22 years and has us as favourites this summer. And this is reflected through our high net spend.

Manchester City have already dumped Tijjani Reijnders and James Trafford – both signed last season. Whilst also set to be out of the door this summer are Nico Gonzales, Omar Marmoush and Savinho; all of whom have only been at the club for 18 months. That is over £200m worth of talent signed in the last 18-months deemed not good enough and sold.

If all 3 depart, that will be 6 of the 15 players Man City signed since January 2025 that they have sold. That is very poor. Meanwhile, Arsenal have sold just one player signed since 2023 – Christian Norgaard. And in that period we have finished above City 2 out of 3 times, with both clubs having a league title each.

So this is how it works.

Arsenal sign £500m worth of talent. That £500m worth of talent performs so the club does not need to sell. They then have a £500m net spend over the period.
Man City sign £500m worth of talent. £200m of that talent does not perform and is sold. Man City recoup much of the sale price. They have a net spend of £300m over the period.

Why would it be deemed a negative that one team buys well and wins the league, whilst another team buys poorly and dumps players within 18-months? It is only really seen bad to those who put weight on net spend tables.

Let me lay out another scenario.

Arsenal sign Declan Rice for £100m. He performs well and does not spend to be sold. He then shows as a £100m cost, with £0 sale value, on a net spend table.

Than you have Nico Gonzalez. He is signed for £50m. He performs poorly and is later sold for £50m. 6-months after Gonzalez joins, Man City sign Tijjani Reijnders for £55m. He performs poorly and is later sold for £55m. Then Man City spend £65m on Ayyoub Bouaddi

There net spend during that period across the 3 players is £65m. That is £35m less than what Arsenal spent on Declan Rice. Brilliant business by Man City on the net spend tables. But the reality is they are set to be on their 3rd attempt to buy a central midfielder since failing to sign Rice, whilst Declan Rice has been a huge success at Arsenal.

And when it comes to amortisation and book value, net spend means nothing. A player leaving for nothing after 7 or 8 successful years is not accounted for in net spend tables and is seen as a negative transfer move by those only considered with net spend. Meanwhile a player leaving after 12-18 months having been a poor signing is seen as a positive transfer move by the net spend obsessed.

Spending £2bn and receiving £1bn in transfer fees (Chelsea), is not the sign of a well run club. It is the sign of a team that churns through players.

Then you have Arsenal who spend £1bn, have received £200m and have a similar net spend to Chelsea during that period. All that means is we signed players who have been a success, and have not felt the need to continually buy and sell in an attempt to find a formula that works. Arteta has already found that formula. And we are Champions.

Ultimately, our high net spend over the last 5-years is a credit to our buying strategy. And winning the title shows it has been a success.

Keenos

PS: the real net spend table from 2021 is below:

Arsenal ready to raid Newcastle again for star defender

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Oh wouldn’t it be glorious if Arsenal went back to Newcastle United to solve our defensive headache.

Malick Thiaw is the man who has been wearing the captains armband for Newcastle in preseason friendlies. It is expected that the German defender will take the armband full time following Bruno Guimaraes, and their fans are already celebrating him leading them into the “new era”.

But could Thiaw be the perfect defensive signing for Arsenal?

The Champions have been in the market for a central defender who can also play right back. We have been linked with the likes of Ezri Konsa already this summer as we look to sign someone who can come into the defence during William Saliba’s absence, whilst also offering cover for Jurrien Timber.

Ben White could be the ideal profile and it looks like he might be willing to remain at the club. But there are still concerns around his injury record. Those concerns, combined with some questionable performances from the defensive unit during pre-season, could lead Arsenal to still enter the market for a new defender.

The German international has many of the qualities that would make him attractive to Mikel Arteta.

At 6′ 4″, Thiaw is powerful, aggressive in the challenge and dominant in the air, while also possessing the athleticism required to defend in a high line. Thiaw is also an excellent passer and has also shown his leadership potential during his one season for Newcastle.

And there is another aspect of Thiaw’s game that should make him particularly attractive to Arsenal: his versatility.

Although primarily a centre-back, Thiaw has previously played at right-back and also has experience playing in defensive midfield earlier in his career. That background is important because it has helped him develop an understanding of different defensive responsibilities and positions on the pitch. Ideal for Arteta.

Arsenal defenders are often asked to do far more than simply defend. Full-backs can move into midfield or transition into a back 3. Centre-backs are expected to progress the ball whilst also cover out wide. Players must be comfortable changing positions during matches. Thiaw’s experience at right-back and defensive midfield means he has already had to understand the game from different perspectives.

Thiaw could potentially provide cover across the defensive line when injuries or suspensions strike. In a squad competing in the Premier League, Champions League and domestic competitions, that flexibility is incredibly valuable.

His physicality could be particularly important at Arsenal. Arteta’s team often pushes high up the pitch, leaving defenders exposed to counter-attacks. Arsenal therefore need centre-backs capable of defending large spaces and recovering quickly when opponents break forward. Thiaw’s combination of size, strength and mobility gives him the tools to do exactly that.

At just 25, Thiaw is still at an age where his best years could be ahead of him But he also has valuable experience at the highest level.

His time at AC Milan gave him exposure to Champions League football, while his move to Newcastle United has allowed him to experience the intensity and physicality of the Premier League. That combination could make him an ideal addition to Arsenal’s defensive unit.

Imagine having Saliba, Gabriel and Thiaw, alongside Cristhian Mosquera, competing for two starting centre-back positions, while also knowing that Thiaw has the experience to operate at right-back if required. That is the kind of defensive depth Arteta wants.

Of course, Newcastle would not make a player like Thiaw easy to sign after we snatched Bruno from them. But if we did, it would be absolutely priceless and they would need to issue flood warnings for the Tyne basin area, despite the UK being in a heatwave and drought.

What started off as a wind-up blog looking to catch a few Geordies with some bait has ended up with me convinced. Thiaw should be our number one target if we are looking for a new defender this summer.

And if it is not this summer, keep an eye on next. He could be the perfect man to come in if Saliba does not return back to his best following his back issue.

Keenos