Arteta is a man on a mission. To rival fans, his only mission is to outspend any other club and to simply “buy” a Prem title at any cost. To be fair, we have seen him oversee the spending of more than £200m so far, and the window will remain open for another six or seven weeks. You would think that integrating three new players, two of them likely starters, might be enough of a transition, but Arteta seems unconcerned with such trifles. Indeed, to hear him tell it, he might just be getting warmed up.
Talking about Arsenal’s business to date and the time that remains, Arteta said, “it’s a lot of time still in the market and our expectations are in some of our players as well. So we have to see how things develop in the next couple of weeks. We will be alert, there’s still time to do things, there’s still time for exits obviously, so I’m sure things will move.”
While he alludes to selling a few players, the import there seems to be around seeking out and signing other players. Among other areas, we seem need to cover for our starboy. Bukayo Saka played nearly every minute of the Prem season, making 38 starts and playing 3,194 minutes. Defenders are not going to get any gentler, and there are very few signs that referees will get any better any time soon. Neither Marquinhos nor Vieira is ready to deputise for him other than perhaps 10-15 minutes here and there when we’ve got a comfortable lead. Finding a winger who’s good enough to step up might be the most important bit of unfinished business.
Having already sold Xhaka and Mari (remember him?), we could and probably should part ways with Cedric, Lokonga, Tavares and Elneny, each of whom has been made redundant by other signings. Tierney is another name that comes to mind, but selling him would leave us without cover for Zinchenko. I’m still unsure why Arteta doesn’t seem to rate Tierney even if he can’t quite play the same inverted role that Zinchenko plays. He’s also a capable CB, the position he plays for Scotland.
The bigger issue is the possible departure of Thomas Partey. Persistent rumours of interest from Juventus and Saudi Arabian club Khaleej FC could eventually see the Ghanaian move on. Those excited about a potential bidding war to drive up his fee should remember that this Juventus we’re dealing with, and Khaleej FC has apparently never paid a fee for a player. According to transfermarkt, all of their incoming transfers have been free. There must be something else going on there. Selling Partey and Xhaka would leave our midfield a little thin Jorginho is an important leader but is getting older, and Elneny is sticking around more for his genuinely pleasant personality rather than his skill on the pitch.
Could we really see two more significant signings to push our spending past the £300m mark? Chelsea spent £530m just last season, showing that the connection between spending and suceeding isn’t always as strong as it might seem. By contrast, Arteta seems to have a clear vision for the kind of players he wants and the way he wants them to play, making for smarter spending.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Those of us of a certain vintage might remember waiting until the very last day (and at times the very last minute) of the transfer window before learning of any major signings. To date, we’ve announced three, and there’s plenty of time (and, apparently, money) left. Who will it be next?
See you, as always, in the comments below…
It is always easy to spend other people’s money or, essentially, when you have “no skin in the game”. Granted, of course, what Arteta has is his future since, as others have previously indicated, if this shopping spree does not reap monetary (increased income from all sources) and symbolic (silver plates and other trophies) rewards, he will be tossed into the dustbin of failed managers. While he may find future employment it may never be along the upward trajectory he is now following.
I can only believe there is a plan and that, for now, the Kroenke’s have been convinced it is sound, affordable, and worth pursuing toward whatever goals they may secretly have. Those may not coincide since KSE is looking toward increased value and a profit on their investment, despite what the son may claim. MA seeks glory and achievements beyond those of his mentors (AW and PG), whether at Arsenal or beyond. Both groups, as a consequence have a very different view as to the money being spent and its ultimate success or failure. Only time will tell whether this has been a successful trip for one or both.
I’m sure there will be financial rewards. A draw in Champions League group stage matches earns more than winning Europa League group stage matches, for example. Whether this squad can bring home any of the the more-important symbolic rewards will be an important indicator of Arteta’s skill. I don’t think the Kroenkes are worried about the spending – yet – and they don’t seem as reckless as Boehly either for signing players or handling managers. For as much as I hope for some silverware from this upcoming campaign, anything can happen…
as per usual, some insightful and well-reasoned thoughts on this matter palladio…I would suggest that this whole unprecendented spending spree is largely predicated on a logically-derived “hit while the irons hot” mentality…the Kroenke’s have risen to the top of the sporting empire charts, with their recent successes in the NHL, NFL and NBA, so it’s not that surprising that MA et al would seek some next level investment and that the Korenke’s would summarily acquiesce…of course, if this doesn’t put some serious hardware on our organizational mantel, over the next 2 years, he will undoubtedly be binned and a very troubling fire sale could be in the offing…as for the whole “chequebook” manager narrative, there’s considerable merit to such claims in light of the absolutely ludicrous spend to sell ratio on his watch…Cheers
strike not hit…
checkbook manager.
Chelsea is hamstrung financially with a bloated roster. Liverpool and ManU are awaiting possible new ownership. ManU (I’ve read) are treading close to FFP sanction. Arsenal with (again what I’ve gleaned) had up to £350M of available funds this Summer (after 3yrs of fat trimming). We may be the only major PL club aside from City– and to a lesser degree NUFC– with any large amounts of money to spend.
Madrid signed Bellingham. Bayern want Kane. As for the rest of the top-tier teams– PSG is paralyzed by Mbappe, and Barca are looking for deals. It’s almost open waters for Arsenal to pick whom they wish. And the wildest thing is? Everybody we like wants to play for Mikel Arteta now. Almost as if strategic– this succession planning thing!
Buy the ticket.
Take the ride.
~Hunter S Thompson
Actually, it appears there are a few players who seem not to want to play for Arteta and they have publicly indicated their preferences. Maybe the just want their manager to be calmly standing at the sidelines and not racing up and down the field and waving his arms wildly or they have other reasons such as childhoods dreams of playing for Barca or MU. Who knows?
If however, we really have our choice of the best, why are we still seeking a (good) back-up for Saka who can do more than fill in for the last ten minutes? We seem not to believe Eddie or Balogun are the answer, then get someone soon and not, as was mentioned today, wait until the “Wenger moment”, i.e., the 11th hour when all cupboards are bare (or nearly so) and only the day-old bread or broken box merchandise is left. Methinks this may indicate that there is not an endless supply of money and the Kroenkes also want “Artdu” to move the deadwood or expendables first and use that money to offset what has been spent and what still needs to be spent. Will those fire sales occur before all the good merchandise has been signed away, is the concern.
Going back to earlier issues, what will always hang over the club is whether the Kroenkes are truly in it for the long haul, as owners in all sports once were (George Halas, Paul Brown, etc.) ? Obviously, Kroenke Senior has purchased franchises in various sports and done well, but was winning trophies his aim or building up the values in order to cash out and move to other ventures, possibly not even sports-related? So far the have been reasonable successful with the other franchises, but if any one of them falter, including Arsenal, will they hang around or will we finally see behind the veil?
You must be miserable. I’m so sorry.
(Is there a minimum word count for those so miserable here Jon?)
palladio43—resist the temptation to take the bait from these Le Grove-inspired AI chatbots, as they have but one goal in mind, to rid the blogsphere of anyone who doesn’t kowtow to their particular managerial narrative…in order to accomplish this task they don’t attempt to overwhlem you with a wide array of facts or figures, as they don’t exist, instead they offer up ludicrous takes in the hopes of eliciting an emotional response from their intended victims…when this logically occurs, as what they’ve claimed is typically so outrageous that it deserves a suitably charged retort, they will respond in kind, albeit in a more veiled, passive aggressive manner and then they will somehow/someway appeal to the “sensibilities” of the site boss…by doing so, a seed will have been planted which they hope will achieve it’s desired result in the not too distant future…in the following weeks and/or months they will continue to throw little jabs with the sole intention of getting your goat time and time again…eventually it will start to look like you’re the instigator, even if the facts suggest otherwise…if everything goes according to planned the “boss” will opt for what they believe is the path of least resistance, regardless of the mitigating circumstances, and the next thing you know you’re on the outside looking in…be safe out there
I admit I have nothing to say to jw1 and even admitting to seeing his post risks encouraging him. I think I should be thanking you, A Simple Truth, although I lost you a bit in your reply🙄
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Jw1
Nice to see a fellow refugee from ACLF. I found another last year on another US blog, Bill, he with the horses on 7am Kickoff.
I still have contacts with a few other regulars who I used to go to games with along with Yogi but covid broke many behaviour patterns and going to the Ems was one of them.
To be honest I find I lack the energy to post regularly anywhere now. We had so much to say for so long and much of current debates seem like reruns of older ones. I am sure that is not altogether true but I am just getting old!
All the best to you and to your posts. See you around.
It’s a good time to be an Arsenal fan. A different time for sure– but I’m pleased to see an ex-player, a protege of two of the brightest football minds of the last 30yrs– rekindle the culture that sustained the club and it’s followers.
Doesn’t hurt that the football is easy on the eye too!
Have a good one bob.