The breaking news overnight from various sources was that the transfer of Gabriel from Lille was on the verge of being completed.

The Brazilian was reportedly in London yesterday and has started following a barbers on Instagram that is popular with many footballers.

Has he had his pre-photoshoot hair cut?

The deal has yet to be confirmed by a reliable journalist in the UK, so still might just be speculation. However this news seemed to be breaking at around midnight last night so the likes of David Ornstein would have been in bed with a Horlicks.

And then it’ll be on to the next one.

We have oddly been linked with Thiago Alcantara.

Reports are that Arsenal have enquired about the 29-year-old Bayern Munich player but are unwilling to pay the £23m asking price.

I think we can file this one under “speculation for hits” and personally I would prefer Dani Ceballos comes who is 5 years younger.

Previously I have blogged about Edu and Raul Sanllehi got unfair criticism for their dealings in the transfer market.

Chelsea are about to spend £60m on Ben Chillwell, whilst Arsenal signed Kieran Tierney for less than £30m.

Tierney is the better player.

Finally a couple of departures.

Firstly Freddie Ljungberg announced he was leaving to progress his management career.

This is not a surprise.

Freddie is 43, has aspired to be a manager for some time and had a little taste of it as caretaker at Arsenal.

For him to have a career as a manager rather than as a back room staff, he has to leave Arsenal, and this summer was the right time.

Reports are he actually wanted to leave last summer but Unai Emery begged him to stay to assist in the development of the youngsters who were breaking through to the 1st team.

That job is now done with the likes of Saka, Willock and Ntekiah now fixtures in the first team squad.

The door is open for Freddie to return to Arsenal.

Go get your experience, and one day you could be managing the boys in red and white again.

Anyone that tries to make out that Freddie leaving is anymore than an ambitious man looking to progress his career is a liar.

Lastly Sue Campbell also announced her retirement last night.

Sue has worked for the club for over 30-years and has done so much to help Gooners young and old.

We wish her well in her retirement.

Keenos

After 32 wonderful years at Arsenal Football Club, the time has come to hang up my boots after an amazing career in football.

It’s been an emotional journey which has seen many more highs than lows – from being a part of the Invincibles era at Highbury, to ringing in the changes at Emirates Stadium with Dennis Bergkamp’s Testimonial and nurturing a handful of young Arsenal fans to build a family of nearly 40,000 Junior Gunners.

As the club has grown, so has our international fanbase which allowed me to play a huge role in travelling the world and visiting our fans overseas to share the love for this amazing club with some amazing people. Sometimes I had to pinch myself to check it was really happening and, whilst it was a dream to work here, the achievements were borne out of hard graft and reaping what you sow. I hope I leave the club, with my team and colleagues remembering me for my work ethic, passion, heart and commitment. 

I would like to thank the many many fans I have met, I am one of you I just happen to be the lucky one who has been able to represent our great club, I am proud and honoured to have represented the fans. I will be with you all in the future cheering on the lads from the stands ❤️

I’m now off to enjoy my retirement and spend more time with my family.

I will be at the club until November. I will miss you all so, so much….. And I hope you all buy a copy of my book!

Sue

SheWore: On behalf of every Arsenal fan, we’d like to thank Sue for everything she has done for Arsenal fans young and old over the last 32 years.

It’s oh so quiet.

The only real news coming out of Arsenal at the time of writing was that Charlie George and Sammy Nelson were part of the 55 redundancies, as were Pat Rice and Stewart Houston.

On the 2 former assistant managers, it feels right.

Both were employed as “scouts” but you have to wonder how much scouting they were actually doing, taking into account both men were 71-years-old.

I doubt either of them were travelling abroad to check on players, you never saw Sky turn the camera on them at grounds, and I doubt they were on the wind swept Hackney fields on a cold and wet Tuesday night.

Having them both on the payroll as “scouts” feels very much like job for the boys.

On George and Nelson. It is tough.

The museum is not doing tours for the foreseeable, which means no legends tours.

Could the club have kept both on the payroll doing nothing? Yes. But then Arsenal have had over 871 players play for them throughout history.

We can not be a pay cheque for every player beyond their retirement from football

If they squandered their money on booze and brasses, we should not pick up the pieces.

Yes, we can help out, throwing a bit of work here and there like the club have done with Kenny Sansom, but ultimately ex-players need to be responsible for themselves.

Charlie George certainly did the legends tours out of the love for his club and talking about it. But if the club can not run the tours, the tough decisions need to be made.

I am sure in 12 or 24 months time, when legend tours reopen, the club will be on the phone to Charlie George. And if he does not want it, I am sure there are plenty of other former players that would jump at the chance.

It is tough for those involved, especially as Charlie George and Pat Rice have given us decades of service. And I am sure some fans are frustrated.

But where they leave, opportunities for others will rise.

Another victim of COVID19 was Piebury Corner.

The pie shop on Holloway Road has been an inspiration for any budding businessman.

To grow out of having a stall near Arsenal station to 2 shops on Holloway Road and at Kings Cross was a brilliant story.

Piebury Corner became a place people would go to meat (get it?) before games. Like going to the George or the Bailey.

As decent pubs shut down the Holloway Road, the pie shop became a popular meeting place.

This is not the end of the road for the team. They will return back to where they came from with a stall outside the ground.

I am sure we will see them back running a shop again sooner rather than later.

When you have a top product, and are good, hard working people, you do not let a bump in a road derail you.

So I see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is out injured again.

When we sold him to Liverpool, I was delighted.

He was an average player who had the odd special moment. At Liverpool he has been no different.

The odd spectacular goal, the odd match winning performance, and then in between a lot of dross.

People still say he has “raw potential” and “if he can get a consistent run of games he will be a star”. The bloke is 27-years-old now.

He has yet to start 20 Premier League games in a season. His highest goal tally is 4.

Theo Walcott might not have been as good technically as Oxlade-Chamberlain, but he was the better player. Contributed a lot more.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has 16 career league goals. Walcott 65.

He will go down as one of the most overrated players in Premier League history.

Keenos