Tag Archives: She Wore

Arsenal set to complete double midfield signing

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Arsenal’s recruitment drive is set to continue this week with the arrivals of both Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi.

The deal for Uruguayan defensive midfielder Torreira has been completed for some time, with the delay being Arsenal awaiting the end of the World Cup to announce the deal.

One of the stars of Uruguay’s World Cup campaign, 22 year old Torreira has massively impressed at the tournament.

The signing will be seen as a bit of a coup for Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi as interest would have gone through the roof after his World Cup performances.

Expected to join the soon-to-be former Sampdoria midfielder at Arsenal is 19 year old Mattéo Guendouzi from Lorient for £7m.

The French youth international broke into the Lorient side last season.

The likes of Torreira and Guendouzi are the sort of talents Sven Mislintat was bought to Arsenal to uncover.

Both are young, gifted players who had very little reputation before being linked with Arsenal.

Mislintat’s first few recruits added quality and experienced to the top end of the squad – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

This summer has seen the policy of signing experience continue with Stephan Lichtsteiner, Bernd Leno and Sokratis joining the club. Torreira and Guendouzi show a shift to younger players.

Mislintat clearly identifies a lack of leadership and experience at the back; and a need to recruit young players in the middle of the park.

After chasing Yacine Adli, clearly a teenage central midfielder with some size to him was on Arsenal’s shopping list. Guendouzi is that man.

Whilst it is not expected that Guendouzi will compete for a first team place straight away, he will train with the senior squad and get game time in the Europa League and League Cup.

It is unlikely that Torreira and Guendouzi will be the end of Arsenal’s new player recruitment.

Keenos

Support England; Regardless of Spurs

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“I can not bring myself too support a team with Spurs players in it.”

I have that heard muttered a few times by English Arsenal fans who are refusing to back England in the World Cup due to Harry Kane, Kieran Trippier, Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Danny Rose being in the squad.

It’s childish and stupid. Grow up.

So what if England have a few players from Spurs, or Liverpool, or Chelsea, or whoever?

Does it matter that Harry Kane is scoring the goals? Cheer for the 3 lions, the England shirt, the England goal, regardless who is weak for or who scores it.

When we played Colombia, there were English Arsenal fans who wanted Harry Kane to miss his penalty. For David Ospina to save it. They wanted Colombia to go through.

Yet at the heart of Colombia’s defence is Davison Sanchez. A Spurs player.

So you want England to lose due to them having a few Spurs players, and then Colombia to win, even though they have Spurs players? You are happy Spurs players being successful, just not for England, it seems.

If it isn’t England you are backing (and this blog is aimed at English Arsenal fans; not those from other nations), who do you want to win?

Many of you will probably say “Belgium”. They seem to have become the neutrals favourite alongside Croatia.

Belgium have 3 Spurs players in their squad.

They have an additional 8 players from Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool. That is 11 players from Premier League rivals…

How about France? Their captain is also the captain of Spurs (Hugo Lloris) and they contain 5 players from that lot, Chelsea, Man City & Man U.

We are at war with Russia. It might not be a war that we see, but it is a war, in cyber space, in Syria, in Salisbury, but it is still war.

That leaves Sweden and Croatia.

The point is, by saying you don’t want England to win due to having too many Spurs players, it means someone else will win. Probably another team with a big load of Spurs players. Or Liverpool. Or Chelsea, Man U or Manchester City.

If we win it, Spurs fans might gloat that they won the World Cup. They did not. England won it. It just shows that Spurs are like West Ham – who claim 1966 as on of their honours. Both clubs have such little domestic success that they have to claim success with England, or former players winning trophies once they have left.

For me, I want it to come home. I want to be cheering the 3 lions on to victory today. I want to be cheering us on next Sunday to victory.

It’s coming home

Keenos

New signings and contract extensions galore at The Arsenal

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How refreshed do Arsenal feel at the moment?

I have said it a few times before, since Arsene Wenger left, the club feels like a breath of fresh air.

The last couple of years under the Frenchman felt stale and predictable. Our transfers resembled someone playing roulette nobody can be successful without a proper strategy.

No matter what happened people would moan. Fans were staying away, many of those that went were struggling to maintain interest. There was a lack of enthusiasm at the club.

Everything feels different this summer.

From the huge turnover of backroom staff at London Colney, to the new ideas and vigour bought by the axis of power now leading the club. It all just feels fresh, feels exciting.

Add in record season ticket renewals and it is only the real bitter people, those with an agenda, an online personality and following based on negativity that continue to moan and complain.

One look at the BBC home page highlights how positive things are…

We have Calum Chambers signing his new contract – a surprise considering many thought he would leave the club.

Then we have the signings, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Bernd Leno both having joined the club in the last 2 weeks.

They create a bit of a shit sandwich with the only disappointing news on the page being about Jack Wilshere leaving the club. Although this is the right decision for both.

We then have even more positive contract news.

Granit Xhaka, who I think will have a massive season next year as he is pushed further forward, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles signing new deals.

There is still plenty of talk about Lucas Torreira, who is expected to join after the World Cup  as well as the news of Arsenal signing Stephan Lichsteiner on a free transfer fro Juventus.

The last bit of news on the site that will hopefully be concluded within the next week is Aaron Ramsey’s new contract.

It is still unsigned, but the feeling is it is only a matter of time.

However you felt about Arsenal in recent years, there has been plenty to be positive about in the last 3 qweeks.

I am buzzing for the new season.

Keenos