Photo from Arsenal.com
Afternoon all.
I’ve often said that the women’s game doesn’t float every Arsenal fans boat but what’s certain is, when the Arsenal women play their fixtures at The Emirates, it’s usually a sellout. This coming season, there will be a lot more women’s fixtures at The Emirates which has in my opinion, been a long time coming. If you as a football fan turn the television on to watch the women’s Euros, just don’t expect the game to be the same as men because it won’t be. Just as the women’s tennis, rugby, hockey and cricket isn’t but it’s still bloody good.
To suggest I’m thrilled that Chloe Kelly has signed a permanent deal with Arsenal would be an understatement. Ever since she stepped foot back into the club in January, she’s been excellent. With a Champions League winners medal already in her back pocket, I hope she and her teammates can finally knock Chelsea off their Premier League perch this coming season.
The same applies to the men of course, in fact an Arsenal league double would be something worth celebrating in a big way.
With Kepa through the door, Christian Nørgaard is expected to be next. Brentford Sporting Director Phil Giles told Sky Sports:
Arsenal approached us in the last two weeks about Christian – we’ve spoken regularly with Andrea Berta. As it stands, I think it’s more likely to happen than not, but we have to go through the full process, tick all the boxes, and we’ll see at the end of it. He’s been a fantastic player for us, unbelievable. I’m actually happy for him that he has earned the opportunity, at this stage of his career, age 31, to go and have the opportunity to win some trophies.
So, Giles thinks trophies are not far off for Arsenal, but do the fans? Do you?
Unless one has been living on Mars for the last week or two, it’s well known that Arsenal are being heavily linked to Eberechi Eze. The Crystal Palace player who scored the goal which won Palace the FA Cup back in May, spoke to the BBC about his game earlier that month:
It’s easy to lose sight of — especially (with) the type of player I am — why I’m doing what I’m doing. Why do I run with the ball? Why do I try things? Why am I creative? Why do I do things that maybe players wouldn’t think to do? The reason is for the people who are watching. It’s what you’re doing to people in the stands and how you can get people off their feet; that’s what football’s about. It feels like football is starting to shift a bit, and there’s maybe not as much of that, but as long as I play, that’s all I want to do.
Hallaluja! A player who thinks about the fans and wants to entertain them. That’s been might gripe over the last few seasons, win, lose or draw, we’ve more often than not, been pretty boring to watch. There are times and places when Arsenal need to be a little more defensive but not week in, week out, as if the players are too frightened to frighten to express themselves on the pitch. As said a month or two ago, I hope with different players, different football will be on show but much depends on Mikel Arteta and his approach. I recall when Arsenal Wenger had a team overflowing with talent and experience and he just let them go out and play. This Arsenal squad now, with others to come is full of experience and talent too, at least when everyone is fit that is so perhaps now is the time to say to them, go and enjoy yourselves. It’s not like they don’t know what they’re doing is it?
I wasn’t convinced about Eze but if Arsenal sign him, at least he’s likely to entertain us..
Catch up in the comments.