Tag Archives: sports

Arteta has raised the standards at Arsenal – now we need to demand the signings to match his amibition

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Since Mikel Arteta has come into the club, there has been a lot of talk about projects and phases. A few fans have criticised this having seen other managers come into their clubs and reach some level of success.

The difference between Arsenal and someone like Manchester United is that we are not going for short term glory, cups will not paper over the cracks.

Whilst we do need to start converting these good seasons into silverware, there is a bigger picture at play. And that is where the project and phases come in.

Some people are not aware how much of a mess the club were in on and off the field towards the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign and throughout Unai Emery’s.

From ageing, overpaid, underperforming, problematic “superstars” on the pitch to a dysfunctional leadership team off. The training facilities were dated and we were reportedly close to losing our academy status due to the decline.

Mikel Arteta, Edu, Josh Kroenke, Per Mertesacker and others basically stripped the club back and have rebuilt it. Whilst this might not have seen any short term glory (although it has to be remembered Arteta has won the FA Cup), it is putting the club back on the right track for future success.

We saw last season how much we were progressing as a club when we signed David Raya to replace Aaron Ramsdale.

This decision led to some criticism from the club, but Theirry Henry got it spot on when he said Ramsdale was a keeper to take you to top 4, whilst Raya could be the keeper to win us the league.

The fact is, we are now at a stage of the “project” where incoming players will be of a much higher standard than previously, raising the ceiling of the club. They will be players to help us get over the line to win the title, rather than players to help us maintain a top 4 challenge.

As a result, some fans need to raise their standard when they are listing the players they want us to sign.

Bring me Michel Sanchez, Dovbyk, Miguel and Portu to Arsenal and we win the league I saw one YouTuber post on X over the Bank Holiday weekend. This is a perfect example of fans not having high enough standard.

The 3 players and a manger all come from Girona, who had a decent season in La Liga finishing 3rd. But they are a one-season wonder and none of them would raise the standard at Arsenal.

Michel Sanchez (Manager) – Firstly I am not sure why replacing Mikel Arteta is even an option. Secondly, if Arteta did leave, someone like Sanchez would not be anywhere near our replacement list.

It is interesting how some fans preach high standards, demand Arteta be sacked for failing to win the league this season, and discuss us going for Pep, Conte, Tuchel or Allegri, and then also claim that a man who has won nothing in his managerial career would take us to the league. Raise your standards.

Artem Dovbyk (Striker) – The forward has been in good form for Girona during his first season in Spain, scoring 24 goals in 36 games. But the Ukrainian turns 27 in a month and is very much a journeyman striker who has spent all his career before this season in Europe’s minor leagues. One good season does not make a good player. Raise your standard.

Miguel Gutierrez (Left back) – A perfect example of what I am talking about. Miguel is a solid left back, but is not at the standard of Zinchenko, Tomiyasu or Timber. He neither raises arsenal’s ceiling or our floor. Raise your standards.

Portu (Midfielder) – At this point I am starting to think that the original poster has just googled ‘Girona’s best players’ and never actually watched them or looked into their players. If we are looking to raise the ceiling or floor of Arsenal, why would we be looking to sign a 32 year old Spanish journeyman winger? Raise your standards.

When looking at what players we are going to sign this year, it has to be remembered we are now title challengers. We are not in 8th, or just looking to challenge for the top 4.

Arteta has raised the standards of players we can now attract. Fans now need to follow suit and raise their standards for what they demand.

I expect 3 or 4 players this summer (outside David Raya). All of them will either raise the ceiling or floor of the club. If a player you want is not drastically better than someone already at the club, then do not even bother mentioning.

Next we will hear people saying they want us to sign Lewis Dunk or Ryan Fraser again!

Arsenal are in a great place. We just need everyone on the same page, demanding we continue to push forward, sign better players and improve.

UTA

Keenos

Mikel Arteta needs to start converting good seasons into more silverware

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I did not end up watching the FA Cup final yesterday.

Harlow Garden Centre was too sunny, too peaceful. By the time I had done a bit of shopping, grabbed meself some fresh lemonade and a slice of cake and got home it was already half time. At that point all I wanted to do was sit in my garden and relax.

Manchester United won which robs us of an August trip to Wembley.

Whilst I do not consider the Community Shield as a relevant trophy, it is still nice to have a semi-serious pre-season game at Wembley where we can all meet up, shake off the cobwebs and get ready for the next 9 months in the sunshine.

With Man U winning it, it raises the question of whether they (and Liverpool) have a better season than us.

I remember back in 2020 when we finished 8th and failed to win a trophy, those outside of the club continued with the narrative that we had a bad season. Meanwhile us fans did not care. We had a day out and lifted a trophy.

And imagine it is the same for Man u fans today.

They will not care one bit that they finished 8th, 31 points off their local rivals. All that matters is they won the FA Cup. And the record books only ever remember the winners.

So whilst we might sit there and mock Man U’s poor season, ultimately they won a trophy and we did not.

Whilst I am delighted about the progress on and off the pitch we have made from Mikel Arteta – I do not think some of our critics realise how bad the situation the club was in prior to his and Edu’s arrival – we have finished trophyless for the 4th successive season.

I am not going to jump on Arteta’s back, just like I did not jump on Arsene Wenger’s. But there is a slight concern that we might follow the route of Tottenham in those mid-late 2010s.

Tottenham finished 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, made 3 semi-finals and got to the Champions LEague final from 2016 to 2021, but they ultimately won nothing. All the progress we shown in the last 24 months will mean nothing if we do not start picking up trophies.

Now I am not saying I would rather finish 8th and win an FA Cup. What we need to do is start picking up cups whilst maintaining a title challenge. That way even if we finish 2nd, we still finish the season with some sort of glory.

I am sure the silverware will come. And as we continue to raise the ceiling and floor of the squad, we should be in a better position to compete on 4 fronts.

The consequence of Man U winning the FA Cup means that Chelsea only qualify for the Europa Conference (they will probably win it), and Newcastle have no European football. That could leave couple of their stars to looking elsewhere for European football. Could it open a door for Arsenal to sign a Bruno or Isak? Who knows.

We did brilliantly this season. But now we need to compete in the league whilst winning trophies.

The She Wore Shop is 10 years old today! Dunno where the time has gone….

 For those who don’t know, the shop was started 3 weeks after I had lost my job in 2014 with the last £50 we had left in the overdraft by buying 50 badgepins and putting some yellow ribbon behind it for the 2014 FA Cup final.

They sold in minutes, so we ordered more and more…

A lot has changed in 10 years. Items that were impossible to be made in the UK can now be made same day. Our clothing is still made to order and can take longer.

We are still nowhere near Amazon levels of speed – and also rely on Royal Mail rather than have a fleet of our own drivers!

I still use the same clothing supplier who made our very 1st polo shirts and he has become a close mate. In the last few years we have both been through some very dark times, but we built a great friendship and supported each other.

The shop has never made us fortunes. The car is 9 years old, we still count the pennies at the end of each month and the kids have never had an overseas holiday. The mortgage is paid on time and the kids do their sports clubs, play way to much Playstation and are happy. And that is what is important.

None of this would have been possible without the support and backing of you. We have all seen the meme about shopping local, and how you are paying for someones children’s ballet class, karate and school uniform. That is exactly what you are all doing when you buy something from our shop.

I am grateful to every single one of you. Whether you have bought once or are a regular buyer. Even just a RT, Like or Share means the world to me.

As a thank you, everything on the shop is 10% off for today and tomorrow. No code needed, the discount is automatically applied at check out: She Wore Shop

Have a great Bank Holiday weekend! And thanks again.

Gav

Sesko “the one for Arsenal”

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A new striker is top of our list this summer. Despite us scoring more league goals in a single season than any other in our history, the forward line is an area that can be improved.

After much searching, amateur scouting and watching YouTube clips, Benjamin Sesko is the one I want for Arsenal.

Kai Havertz shows the way

I often cast my mind back to the January window in 2022 as Arsenal searched for a replacement for Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang. We were heavily linked with Dominic Calvert Lewin, Dusan Vlahovic and Alexander Isak; three strikers of a very distinct profile.

It was clear at this point that Arteta basically wanted a “more mobile Giroud” to lead his line. Someone who could work a defence with their movement, whilst also provide a physical presence in the box.

After missing out on Vlahovic, Arsenal turned down the opportunity to sign Isak in the summer and plumped for Gabriel Jesus.

Jesus was a completely different profile to the players we were previously looking at. Smaller, quicker, trickier. Although his hold up play is actually underrated.

In 2023 Arteta was focused on signing players that he thought would take us to the top 4. Jesus would be fine if we just wanted a top 4 challenge. But now we are title chasers and that means a new striker and a return to Arteta’s original plan.

In the second half of the season, due to injury and form, Kai Havertz was pushed further forward, replacing Jesus. Havertz would grab himself 8 goals and 7 assists in 13 games. This showed that a bigger, mobile, technically gifted striker is the way to go.

Sesko playing style

I have previously described Sesko as a “more mobile Dimitar Berbatov”.

Whilst he is not an out and out goal scorer or powerhouse forward in the Erling Haaland mould (who is?), he is a technically gifted player who has a great touch, great movement and a decent bit of pace.

He is not too dissimilar to Havertz, but has better instinct in the box and will be able to sniff out those goalscoring positions that Kai does not.

Age profile

In the back end of this season, Kai Havertz showed he is a genuine option as a striker for Arsenal, alongside Gabriel Jesus. That means that we no longer need to look for the “finished article” and that we could look for someone a little bit younger, a little bit rawer.

Sesko is just 20 years old (turns 21 in a week).

With the situation we are now in, we could afford to sign someone like Sesko and take our time developing. The Slovakian can play in tandem with Havertz, rather than be expected to come straight in and replace him.

A very high ceiling

Last summer, Sesko moved from Red Bull Salzburg to RB Leipzig for £20million. It was a huge step up from Austria to Germany.

Sesko started the first half of the season slowly, often coming off the bench for his new team. But as the season progressed, he established himself as their first choice striker and finished the season on a 7 game scoring streak.

14 goals in 31 Bundesliga games might not excite many, but 11 of those came in the last 16 games. Sesko proved he has that ability to step up to the next level.

The Premier League is a step up from the Bundesliga (gap not as big as Austria to Germany though). Sesko will need to continue working hard and step up again if he wants to be a regular starter for one of the best teams in Europe.

I believe he has the potential to become one of the best in Europe, and his 2nd half of the season form in Germany has shown he has the hunger to work hard on his game.

Again, with Kai Havertz at the club, we will not need Sesko to make the impact on day one. We can afford to take it slowly with Sesko and for Mikel Arteta to build him into the striker he wants.

Cost

My main concern with the links with Viktor Gyokeres was the price tag.

I was not sure paying £70m+ on a 25-year-old who was playing in the Championship 12 months ago made much sense. And as we have seen with other recent Liga Portugal imports (Darwin Nunez), the step up to England from Portugal is huge.

Isak would have been a good option this summer, but considering at Newcastle spent on him (£70m) you can not see us getting him for less than £100m. That would mean less investment elsewhere in the squad.

Finally, I was also always uncomfortable spending big on Ivan Toney considering his age.

Sesko has a £55m release clause, making him the cheapest player I have mentioned in this blog. He is also the youngest and has the highest ceiling. It is a deal that makes most sense.

And what for Kai Havertz?

When we signed Havertz, I always saw his recruitment as a utility forward. Someone who could play in multiple positions.

He has excelled up front in the second half of the season, and considering Sesko’s age and rawness, he will play a big part upfront next season.

Havertz would still remain an option playing deeper (just not with Olexsandr Zinchenko in the same team – a blog for another day) when we want to set up more attacking.

Next season we need to compete on 4 fronts. That means we need to be prepared to play 60 games. There will be more than enough to go around.

And Jesus’s future?

Some reading this might think “Jesus is gone then”. Incorrect.

Jesus joined us from Manchester City after years of being a squad player. He wanted an opportunity to show he could be a regular starter. Unfortunately, injury and form resulted in him returning to that squad role he had with Man City.

The Brazilian basically has a choice – stay at Arsenal and accept a squad role, or push for a move and hope it is “3rd time lucky” in his dream to be a regular starter.

Jesus would still have a big role to play at Arsenal.

Havertz and Sesko would be two similar style strikers. There would be games when we might want an alternative option. Someone a bit trickier and quicker. That would be Jesus. Likewise, he could be a game changer off the bench with the way he buzzes around.

Gabi is also an option on the wing.

Previously, I spoke about need a striker who could also be an option on the wing. Alternatively, we needed to target a new winger. By signing Sesko, it would free up Jesus to play on the wing.

Jesus can play both right and left wing, providing cover and competition for Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard. I would not be unhappy if any of those 4 started out wide.

It also allows us to continue assessing our wing options.

Saka is a guaranteed starter on the right, but the left wing might need to be addressed in a years time.

Martinelli’s tough season can not be ignored, and whilst it is not an issue going into next season it is a situation to keep an eye on. Trossard also turns 30 and will have a year left come 2025.

In 12 months, if Martinelli does not return to form, I would not be surprised if we turn our focus on a new left winger, with Martinelli becoming the cover and competition. By using Jesus outside, it means we do not need to address the issue this summer and can allow Martinelli to continue his develop.

Final thoughts

Sesko is the one for Arsenal.

Keenos