Tag Archives: She Wore

Media finds new reason to spread Arsenal negativity

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For years now, The Arsenal Football Club has been the medias punching bag.

They have made millions from spreading negativity about us, knowing that every article would be linked, every comment on TV or radio shared widely. Our recent league struggles has filled their pockets.

And some (so-called) Arsenal fans have also jumped on the bandwagon; realising that being ultra negative got them attention, made them a little bit of money (although the majority of them barely anything by spreading their poison).

They have hated Arsenal’s return to form under Mikel Arteta this season. It has angered them and those that have tried to encourage the doubters have become a laughing stock.

So no longer can they mock or criticise our on-field performances, they have has to look elsewhere to drum up their hatred. And that has come in the form of criticising Arteta.

Led by the Chief of the Celebration Police Richard Keys, over the last couple of weeks their have been countless column inches, tweets and hours of radio time dedicated to Arteta’s touchline antics.

Much of the criticism around Arteta has come from the chief boo-boys. Those that have been loudest in their criticism of Arteta and Arsenal in the last 2 or 3 years. The likes of Keys and Chris Sutton.

The usual suspects, the Arsenal-incels, have also come out from under their rock to pile on.

These people hated Arteta from day one. They were tweeting #ArtetaOut before he even got the job. And they have struggled to come to terms with the fact that maybe the likes of Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino were right with their comments about Arteta.

So the latest thing is them labelling Arteta “classless” and that his toucline antics and post-game interviews are disgracing the clubs.

Interestingly, these people also used to criticise Wenger for “showing no passion on the touchline” and “sitting in the dug out doing nothing”.

So thewy criticise Wenger for not showing passion; and then criticise Arteta for showing passion. What do they actually all want? And I think we know the answer to that is “attention”.

After the 0-0 defeat to Newcastle (yes, its a joke), some of the rats reappeared claiming that “with Manchester United and Tottenhams good form, we will be out of the top 4 within the next month”. So keen are they to paint Arteta as a man failing, they are creating implausible scenarios.

Yes, Arsenal have a tough run of games, with Tottenham, Manchester United and Manchester City to come. But we are top of the league for a reason.

It also ignores that over the next month, Man U face ourselves, Man City and Liverpool. Tottenham meanwhilse face ourselves, Man City (twice) and Chelsea.

So let’s all stop pretending that Man U and Spurs are both going to win every one of their next 7 games, and we are going to drop points in more than 3 – we might drop points in more than 3 of our next games, but they will not win 7 on the trot considering their best winning runs so far is 4 games and 2 games respectively.

We have dropped points in just one of our last 6 games, topping the form table and gaining 1 more point than the resurgent Man U in that time. Spurs have lost 2 and drawn 1 of their last 6. But apparently we are in bad form!

All sides have also been going OTT with Gabriel Jesus’s injury. You would think we were the only club to have a player come back from the World Cup with an injury (no mention of Richarlison).

Someone recently commented “it will be our lack of goals without Jesus that will see us drop below Man U in the next month”.

Since football returned from the World Cup, we have scored 7 goals in 3 games. Only Brighton (9) have scored more. How many have Manchester United scored? 7.

So our 7 goals in 3 games is proof our strikers are misfiring, whilst Man U’s 7 in 3 is proof they are on form. I just do not get it.

These people are so filled with hatred, wanting us to fail, that they end up building their own scenarios in their head and end up thinking they are true. No matter many of them live in bedsits talking into a camera or live their life through social media.

As for the media, we know bad news generates money. And we know Arsenal generates them money. All they care about is trying to combine the two and generating even more money.

The likes of Keys, Sutton et al will do anything to paint us as a club in crisis.

Even if we win every game between now and the end of the season and win the title at a canter, they will criticise us for Arteta’s antics, or due to Saka being booked for diving, or for us surrounding the referee like every club does. Their bitterness forces them to hold us to a higher standard than any other club.

On a final note, I do always laugh when something Richard Keys says goes viral.

He often talks about “class” and “dragging the name through the mud”. This is a man who took media exile in the Middle-East after UK organisation would not touch him with a barge pole.

A man who was sacked by Sky for his derogatory comments about female referee, before further comments came out which just showed he is a nasty old misogynist. A man who was caught shagging his daughters pal whilst his wife of 34-years battled cancer.

If you looked up “classless” in the dictionary, a picture of Richard Keys should be there.

The fact these people are having to look for off-field reasons to criticise Arsenal is brilliant. It means that our on-field performances are upsetting them.

UTA.

Keenos

The Superstar, The Arteta Old Boy, The Other Eastern European Wonderkid & The Cheap Choice – Mykhailo Mudryk Alternatives

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Shakhtar Donetsk are reportedly still holding out for €100million for Mykhaylo Mudryk.

Their sky high asking price is driven by Manchester United overpaying for Antony.

Liverpool signed Cody Gakpo for half that price. And whilst I think Mudryk has the higher ceiling, Gakpo is currently the better player and more established in Europe and on an international level.

Mudryk, remember, has just 30 Ukrainian top flight appearances to his name.

If Donetsk refuse to lower their demands, Arsenal will walk away. Paying €100m for Mudryk is too much and will have a huge impact on future transfer windows.

So if we walk away, what are our options?

Joao Felix – The Superstar

Mikel Arteta and Edu have long standing admiration for Felix.

The Portuguese forwards career has not quite ignited since his €126million move to Atletico Madrid.

This shouldn’t be surprised 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.

Still just 23-years-old, he 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.

The issue with Felix has always been Atletico’s huge asking price. But if we are considering spending the €100m on Mudryk, then we should consider spending that money on an upgrade.

There is also an option of an (expensive) loan deal.

Atletico are asking for a €15million loan fee and for the team to cover his wages taking a total deal to €21million. that feels very expensive for 5 months work. And we have been stun by loan deals before. Players do not have the time to aclimatise to a new country, a new way of playing.

It is crazy to think people are writing off Felix whilst hyping up Rafael Leao as a great young talent. Felix is younger than his Portuguese team mate.

David Ornstein recently came out and spoke about how Felix is on our radar. I think we are using him to drive down Mudryk’s price.

The point is being made, through the press, that we have other options.

(Note: Looks like Felix is now off to Chelsea. Looking at the deal they have agreed, with no option to buy, I am glad we have skipped it).

Leroy Sane – The Arteta Old Boy

It feels like ever since Leroy Sane moved to Bayern Munich, he has been linked with a move back to England.

He has not quite hit the same form for the Bundesliga champions as he did for Manchester City, and has also dropped off in form for Germany (although every German has dropped off after their World Cup performance).

He has spent much of Christmas back in Manchester and seems to be pining for a return to England.

Arteta took Sane under his wing whilst the pair were at Man City.

In an interview about Arteta in 2020, Sane said ‘he was the one who pulled me aside and gave me the tactical tweaks to better my game

‘On a psychological and personal level, he really helped, he was so invested in Sane becoming a better player, growing as a person.’

Sane is tried and tested in the Premier League. He knows Arteta and Arteta knows him.

The likelihood is he will not move in January. But like with Jesus, he might be worthwhile keeping our powder dry for in the summer. If we can’t get Mudryk now or then.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – The Other Eastern European Wonderkid

Georgian Kvaratskhelia made the move to Italy last summer, joining Napoli.

He has quickly established himself as their new talisman. His goals and assists driving Napoli to top of the league.

He and Mudryk have been known as the two big young talents from that part of the world for some time.

Kvaratskhelia made the big move last summer that Mudryk is looking to make this January. As he is now performing in a top 5 European league, you would have to argue that he is now a couple of runs on the ladder above Mudryk.

The feeling was that as Mudryk was less established, he would be available cheaper than Kvaratskhelia.

Mudryk around the €50m mark, Kvaratskhelia €80m.

If Shakhtar continue to demand huge money for Mudryk, Arsenal could switch their sights to Kvaratskhelia.

Similar profile, similar age, similar position and playing style. Kvaratskhelia just a bit more proven at a higher level.

If we are spending €80-100m on one of them, Kvaratskhelia has to be who we go for.

Probably not an option till the summer though

Facundo Torres – The Cheap Choice

If we decide that none of our primary targets are available in January, we have two main options.

The first is to sign no-one. Keep the money in the bank, and revisit the situation on the summer. Similar to how the Dusan Vlahovic / Gabriel Jesus situation played out.

This would be a risky strategy as we are thin up top.

Last year we collapsed in the closing stages of the season as Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli ran out of steam. As we have not added to the pool of widemen available (although Fabio Vieira can play there), the chances are we will be in a similar situation this year.

Martinelli and Saka are a year older, but this season the pair have also had a World Cup and European football to contend with.

Long-term readers of the blog will know I am against “short-term options”. They often end up being transfer flops, quickly surplus to requirements and sold on (or released) at a big loss.

Whilst Torres would be a short term option, the €8million transfer fee would not have much impact on our future budget.

He would likely come in on very low wages and, at just 22-years-old, you would expect us to be able recoup a lot of his transfer fee even if he struggles. We could also make a million here, million there by loaning him out across Europe.

But Torres is not a bad player.

We have been watching him for some time and he was part of Uruguay’s World Cup squad – although he was an unused substitute throughout.

He may well prove good enough to be “4th choice” in the future, and in the short term do a job coming in for either Saka or Martinelli for “lesser” games.

Personally, I have always felt it is his agent linking him to us to garner interest elsewhere in Europe – similar to what happened with Miguel Almiron.

With Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe both still struggling, he becomes a viable option if we struggle to get in a “big name” in January.

A move for Torres, before returning for any of the above or Mudryk in the summer could be a possible scenario.

Keenos

Becoming PSG’s feeder club could prohibit Spurs qualifying for Europe

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I remember a few years ago, Tottenham and Real Madrid signed a “partnership agreement“. It basically consisted of Madrid signing Spurs best players (Gareth Bale, Luka Modric) and Tottenham getting Roberto Soldado.

There fans were hyped over the deal as they thought it would give them first option on Madrid’s talented young players. Taking them on loan and helping them develop. They were basically celebrating becoming Real Madrid’s feeder club.

And over 10-years on from that deal, their fans are still begging to become a feeder club to an elite European club.

Last week, a story broke that the chairman of Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) Nasser Al-Khelaifi met with Tottenham’s Daniel Levy.

Off the back of the news, Spurs fans celebrated that they might be finally getting some of that Arab oil money which could bank roll them to success.

Having not won a league title in 62 years, the FA Cup in 32 years, and been trophyless for nearly 15 years, the excitment stank of desperation.

QSI are not looking to buy Tottenham. They already own an elite European club – PSG. they looking to buy or invest in minority stakes of further European clubs.

The Qatari’s are looking to create a similar structure to City Football Group, where the Abu Dhabi United Group own 12 clubs (either outright, majority shares or minority shares).

11 of those clubs are owned for the benefit of 1, Manchester City. All the money, all the income, goes towards financing Man City (with those clubs getting the benefit of loan players and shared coaching and scouting knowledge).

Chelsea’s owners have recently publically talked about growing a “multi-club” model and we recently discussed how the future could look.

If Europe’s elite continues to grow their network of clubs, you will end up with two very clear tiers.

Those at the top who the mutli-club model is there to benefit. And the network of clubs underneath who all act like as feeder clubs to their parent side.

So Spurs fans are basically celebrating the possiiblity of becoming PSG’s feeder team.

And this is where it gets fun.

Article 5 Integrity of the competition / multi-club ownership of UEFA’s Regulations dicusses the ownership of mutiple clubs.

One of the criteria for entry into a UEFA competition is that two clubs may not have shared ownership. Note that it does not just talk about majority ownership. It indicates any ownership.

This would mean if PSG bought a share in Tottenham, qualification for Europe would depend on firstly whoever qualifies for the higher tournament, secondly whoever finished highest in their league, and thirdly whichever side players in the highest ranking league.

This would mean that if both PSG and Tottenham qualified for the Champions League, whoever finished highest in their league would qualify for Europe. Most likely PSG.

Likewise if PSG qualified for the Champions League and Tottenham qualified for the Europa League, Spurs would be excluded from entering UEFA’s second competition.

The only way Tottenham would qualify for either of UEFA’s top two competitions would be if they finished either higher in the Premier League than they did in Ligue 1, or finished equal and England held a higher country coefficients (England top the club rankings, France are currently 5th).

There is good news for Spurs though. A route in Europe would open up if PSG finished in a Champions League position and Spurs qualified for the Europa Conference League. It being impossible for either team to play each other means there would be no conflict of interest.

But what about the Red Bull clubs? Both of them are in the Champions League you ask.

Well this was investigated by UEFA back in 2017, and it was established that whilst Red Bull own Leipzig, they were officially only a title sponsor of Salzburg.

Reb Bull also scaled back their managerial role in Salzburg and some executive board members shared by both clubs stood down. This was enough for Salzburg to prove to the courts that they were suitably independent from the Red Bull corporation, and Leipzig and themselves were sufficiently distinct from one another.

This allowed for both to be admitted to UEFA competitions.

Based on this, Tottenham could still enter the top two European competitions if they could prove that QSI had no influence over how theyw ere run. No board members, no shared scouting or coaching. No reciprocal loan deals. Basically none of the benefits of the multi-club model!

What I imagine QSI will be thinking is that they can utilise the money made by the Premier League TV deals to ensure that PSG remain with UEFA FFP.

Tottenham will be asset stripped, reducing the wage bill as much as logistically possible to remain in the Premier League and earn that TV money. They will then “pay” PSG for services (the aforemention shared coaching and scouting network) and overpay for loan players. This all generates income for PSG.

It is not too dissimilar with what the Pozzo family wanted to do with Watford – the hope was the Premier League money earned by Watford could be filtered through to Udinese to give them an advantage in Serie A. Watford are now in the Championship.

When the special relationship with Real Madrid was established, it was a one-way agreement. And it will be the same if QSI buy a stake in Tottenham.

Spurs will become PSG’s feeder club. Excluded from entering European competition. And their financies stripped to the benefit of the Paris side.

Enjoy guys….

Keenos