Tag Archives: She Wore

2018 set to be a worse summer than 2017 for Arsenal fans

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The transfer window shut a week ago today and I am already looking towards 2018 with dread.

If you thought the summer 2017 was a disaster, things will be worse in a years time. The clubs lack of action this summer, and policy over contracts is gong to come back and bite it in the arse.

Firstly we have the expiring contracts.

Alexis Sanchez will almost certainly leave in a free transfer. He was so close to leaving this summer. He will go. He will take his dogs with him to lick peanut butter off his nut sack. Mesut Ozil will also be out of the door. Whilst no one was willing to pay for him this summer, a lack of transfer fee will see many Turkish and German clubs be able to offer him a nice big signing on fee to make up for (potentially) lower wages.

Santi Cazorla also has his contract expiring. He would have spent nearly 18 months injured before we see him again this season. He really should have been replaced this summer, but was not. Per Mertesacker will retire, leaving us an experienced centre back short.

Then we have Jack Wilshere. If he get’s fit and stays, he might sign a new deal. But that is unlikely. He will be another out the door for free. The final one who’s contract is expiring is Joel Campbell. Not a disaster him going, but he will take it to 6 players leaving with no fees coming in.

We then have the want-a-way players. Those who tried to leave this summer.

Shkodran Mustafi tried to engineer a move away from the club this summer. The club were seemingly happy to allow him to talk to other sides having decided he was not good enough. Too much water under the bridge. Unlikely to be here for 2018/19.

We also have Hector Bellerin. Another who flirted with leaving. He ended up staying. But such as a mass exodus, it would not be a surprise to see him in a Barcelona shirt next summer.

Arsenal will also still need to ship out some dead wood.

Next summer, Petr Cech will be 36 years old. We will need a new goal keeper. His understudy, David Ospina, is not good enough to be number one. Will he be happy us signing a new first choice keeper? Probably not. He may well leave. That could result in us needing to sign a first choice goal keeper, and a second choice one if Emiliano Martinez does not prove himself.

Lucas Perez, Mathieu Debuchy, Carl Jenkinson and Chuba Akpom were all told this summer to find new clubs. They didn’t, with only Jenkinson leaving on loan. They will still be contracted to Arsenal into next season, and the club will once again try to move the 4 on.

There are also 8 players who have their contracts coming to an end in 2019, meaning if they do not sign a deal throughout this season – and who would sign with so much uncertainty – they will be entering the last year of their deal next summer.

These players include the aforementioned David Ospina, Mathieu Debuchy and Chuba Akpom.

Also on the list is Aaron Ramsey. With his comment about Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, maybe he will feel next summer is the right time to leave Arsenal for a new challenge elsewhere. On the flip side, his position is reminiscent to Theo Walcott a few years ago, when other senior players were leaving and he was able to secure himself a bumper new contract, far above his true value. Ramsey could be in a position to negotiate a new 5 year, £200,000 a week deal…

Nacho Monreal is another who could move on next summer. With a year left on his contract, his left back place taken by Sead Kolašinac, and his best mate Santi Cazorla set to leave, he is another who could agitate for a move back to his native Spain.

Will Olivier Giroud be happy with another season as a Plan B? The World Cup will be gone and he will be 32. Like Monreal, he might find it the right time to leave.

Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck are the final two who’s contracts are coming to an end.

If the Class of 2019 do not leave next summer, they will leave for free the summer after.

I can not see Monreal or Giroud wanting new deals – or the club offering them (both will be well into their 30s). And I would be surprised if Danny Welbeck would sign another deal, having continually found himself as a bit part player since his move from Manchester United.

As for Walcott, the club will probably offer him a new deal, but at a reduced wage as he would be on the wain. I can not see him accepting this.

Now for a few side notes.

Are Calum Chambers, Francis Coquelin or Mohamed Elneny good enough? In other circumstance, you would file under dead wood and look to get rid. But with the impending disaster, poor employees will be kept as better employers leave.

Finally we have Laurent Koscielny. On the 10th September 2018 he will be 33. He will be even more injury prone. With his heir-apparent Mustafi set to leave, not only will we be looking to sign a partner for Koscielny, but also potentially a long term replacement if Rob Holding does not develop as expected.

All chucked into a big cooking pot, it looks like it is set to be a tough summer in 2018.

We are already a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and a centre back short, around 16 key members of the current squad could leave next summer, and another 4 are tittering on the edge. And many of those 16 will eave without a fee coming in.

If disaster hits, we might have to send up signing 20 players!

And the worst of it all is this disaster has been orchestrated by Arsene Wenger, who in 2019, will walk away from the sinking ship, having driving it deliberately into the rocks.

Cheers Arsene

Keenos

 

Arsenal International’s and Congratulations Ivan

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Well that was another dull international break wasn’t it?

With Theo Walcott mysteriously left out of the England squad once again by Gareth Southgate for inferior players, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain now at Liverpool, and Jack Wilshere not selected due to lack of games over the last 6 months, there was nothing of real interest in either England game. And the game itself were as boring as anything.

Oxlade-Chamberlain proved what most people with half a brain have been saying for years. That he has the ability to beat people for fun, but does not contribute much else.

3 occasions against Slovenia (or was it Slovakia? Or Serbia? All these Eastern Bloc countries are the same to me) he showed the world what he was about.

In the first half he brilliantly won the ball, shrugged off his opponent and drove forward, only to pass the ball 5 yards directly to an opponent.

A minute later he brilliantly beat a couple of men, before curling a ball high and wide. You can not even say it went over the bar, as it didn’t. It was an atrocious shot. Finally at one point he found himself in plenty of space on the left, cut back in on his right foot to put a cross in. Goal kick. It’s the story of his life.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is average, and proved for England what Arsenal fans have seen for years. ZERO end product. Arsenal did brilliant to fleece Liverpool for £40m, the annoyance is he was not replaced. Although if we return to 4 at the back, he is essentially 5th choice RB (Bellerin, Debuchy, Chambers, Mustafi, Ox) and 5th choice winger (Sanchez, Walcott, Welbeck, Iwobi).

I had to laugh at the Boring James Milner twitter account mocking Oxlade-Chamberlain throughout:

This after the deadline day tweet:

If you find yourself playing Malta, and end up on the right wing with Jake Livermore in central midfield, then the next game find yourself being shunted to the left wing for the next game, maybe you are simply not as good as you think you are?

Thanks for the memories Ox. Although I can not think of any at this moment in time.

There were goals for Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey against Malta and Moldova respectively.

Arsenal players stepping up and scoring against minnows. I am going to stick a tenner on us to win the FA Cup and Europa League this year.

On the Europa League, Cologne is all booked. Gonna be a top trip. 11 of us going out there. Staying at the Ibis near the station. Should be a good drink up.

Mesut Ozil also put in his top performance for Germany.

Personally I do not care how many goals and assists he has for Germany, I care that he performs for Arsenal.

A load of fan boys came out saying look at how good Mesut is. If only he played with top players at Arsenal. You might be right, but also remember he is a top player at Arsenal. A top player who too often lets his team mates down.

Thinking about Germany, Joachim Lowe is set to leave after the World Cup. Will we let another top manager find a job elsewhere?

With regards to other players playing across the globe for their country, I do not really care how they performed, nor have I taken any notice.

I look forward to Saturday. A day of redemption.

finally congratulations Ivan on the new job…

Keenos

Cheap Arsenal tickets and Cologne still not sold out

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Numerous times in the past I have blogged about my dislike for Champions League football.

A mixture between having the same old opponents, the same predictable performances from Arsenal, my dislike for UEFA and their money making machine, and my total dislike for mid week football.

Whilst I understood the annoyance of many when we made the Europa League, both due to finishing below Spurs and the financial implications, I really was not that bothered. At least we are in a competition we might win.

Making the Europa League also saw my season ticket drop dramatically.

There are 11 of us going out to Germany for the match against Cologne – trains rather than flying – and it is going to be a quality 3 day bender with a good bunch of people. But I digress.

For years many of us have complained about match ticket prices. Season tickets are too expensive. Single match day tickets are too expensive – peaking at £126.It is alienating the normal fan. A dad can no longer take his 2 sons to a game without taking out a second mortgage.

Taking into account how many people complain online about ticket prices, it came as a shock that tickets for Cologne in the Europa League were still on sale.

 

Tickets are now on sale via the Friends and Family service to all valid members of the Arsenal membership using the Ticketfast print at home facility. This service allows Arsenal members to buy an additional 4 tickets on their membership account.

So a member can now buy an additional 4 tickets on their membership account – on top of the one they are already allowed to buy, making it 5 in total.

The reason I am surprised tickets are on sale is due to how cheap the tickets are:

Junior Gunners can but tickets for as low as £4.25. Adult tickets start at £15.50 and the most expensive tickets are £23.50. These are dirt cheap.

Even if your lads are not  Junior Gunner’s, a dad can take his 2 kids for around £75 max, if he go’s for the most expensive tickets.

What has happened to all those people who constantly moan about ticket prices? Why have they not picked up tickets for a Thursday night game?

Last season in the Champions League we played PSG at the group stages. My ticket for that game was £64. The most expensive tickets were £126. The game sold out in no time, and I was able to shift my ticket on the ticket exchange with no problem.

What I am getting it is how so many people seem to pay lip-service to ticket prices. They use it as an excuse not to go to games, but when tickets are more than reasonable – it is cheaper to go to Cologne v Arsenal than the next Leyton Orient home fixture in the Conference – they also do not go.

It is no surprise tickets are so high when people eat up the Cat A tickets within seconds, yet the Cat C and EL4GS tickets struggle to sell out.

My theory is ticket prices are not the problem. The problem is too many fans want to pick and choose what game to go to. They do not want to go to Stoke, Doncaster or Cologne. They only care about going to see Arsenal play Man U, Chelsea or Bayern Munich.

When I go to games, home and away, over land and sea, I only care about seeing Arsenal. I go for the Gunners. Sadly it seems many of our fickle fan base only want to go to the big games.

If you are one of those who moans all day on Twitter about ticket prices, and are not taking advantage of £15.50 ticket prices for Cologne, then you have no right to moan about the £126 tickets for when you want to see Arsenal play Man U.

Go for The Arsenal, not the opponents.

Keenos