Arsenal fans are not happy with the behaviour and views of some of their brethren, while the Club World Cup debate continues apace.
Send your views on any subject to theeditor@football365.com
Is this the season of Darwin?
Liverpool had a problem last season and the season before that. Ever since Mane left in truth. Which is a high-scoring second attacker to balance out the reliance on Salah.
Gakpo and Diaz both had short periods where it looked like they were starting to click only for the momentum to fade. Their numbers weren’t awful but not enough to fill the void if Salah picked up an injury or an Afcon.
Wirtz will almost certainly increase our goal scoring opportunities as well as bag a few himself so it’s possible with better service Gakpo and Diaz can both take it up a level. But will it be enough? The noise in the market suggests not with links to strikers still being made. Yet I can’t see a major improvement coming in before the window shuts, not this year. I also suspect the Konate situation might flip the financial priorities. It also seems, like hermit crabs lining up, that we need a home for Darwin before we take on a new striker.
All this to say, I don’t think Darwin leaves this summer. I’m no Darwin fan. I feel sorry for him and support him but I won’t be chanting Nunez blindly even when he’s having a stinker. Yet, I can help but feel he’s about to have a big season. I can’t put my finger on it and I know that all the facts are against me on this but I’ve got this strange feeling he’s going to step up.
Here I am. Ready to be hurt again. I’m just a fan, standing in front of a boy, asking him to prove me right.
Anyone else ever get a random pang of hope or sense that a player is about to go up a level? We’re you proven right or wrong?
Thomas McConnell
Happy with Arsenal business
I feel like the mail from Seamus sums up what so many people seem to get wrong about Arsenal or even football teams in general.
For example, last summer £73.6 million was spent on Calafiori and Merino. That’s the fee that is being mooted for Rodrygo now. Did that really improve the team in areas that where lacking
I feel the Madueke deal is Arsenal spunking more money on a player that again doesn’t solve any problems.
I am quite happy with all of these signings. We NEED quality in depth. Merino is a regular for Spain and was very important for us last season. He is a very good squad player to have and will obviously start plenty of games too. There’s absolutely zero issues with his signing. Calafiori is someone who I have reservations about defensively but I’m hoping he will kick on this season. He could easily be a starter and is an amazing back up for MLS if he’s not. They will be pushing each other on. He can also play CB.
The Madueke singing DOES solve problems. Arsenal have overplayed Saka. Madueke is a very similar profile. He is an England international with experience in the PL playing for a big club. He’s more expensive than I would’ve liked but he’s apparently only on 50k a week. Nobody knows what is happening with Rodrygo. You can’t just wait all summer to see if he feels like moving. He would also cost like 70-80m and want a massive wage. I love the player but we can’t just wait around. I’m actually very happy with Arsenal’s squad building. There’s quality depth in every position and they’re extremely versatile.
GK: Raya and Kepa – Raya has been quality since joining. Kepa was decent at Bmouth last season. He’s nothing special but it’s a good backup, especially when you see the dross we’ve had in recent times.
RB: Timber/White – Both among the best RBs in the league. Both can play CB and Timber can play LB.
CB: Saliba/Mosquera – It looks like we are getting Mosquera for 15m which seems a steal. I don’t expect him to play much bar League Cup and dead rubber CL. If he impresses then fair enough, if he struggles or takes time to adapt then there’s always White/Timber
CB – Gabriel/Kiwior – Nothing wrong with that.
LB: MLS/Calafiori – Both quality on the ball. May be a bit weaker defensively but the entire defence seems solid and versatile.
DM – Zubimendi/Norgaard – Definitely an upgrade on Partey and Jorginho.
CM – Odegaard/Nwaneri – Hoping the Odegaard of old comes back. Not sure what was behind his poor season. Nwaneri will be given the Foden treatment I would imagine. He played 35 games at 17 last season. He will mostly be a sub but that’s a fine way to develop.
CM – Rice/Merino/Eze – I know Eze hasn’t joined but all indications seems to suggest he will. I’m fairly sure he will play in midfield at times too. It’s good depth.
RW – Saka and Madueke – Finally some rotation options for Saka. Even if it’s just 20 mins in a game, or if he can sit out against lower opposition. Madueke is very direct and would suit coming on against tired legs.
ST: Havertz and Gyokeres – I can see them playing together at times and it’s a brilliant dilemma to have. I feel Havertz will start the season as Arteta loves him but it’s good to have depth as you could tell he was exhausted last season prior to injury.
LW: Eze/Martinelli – I fully expect Trossard to leave. Martinelli hasn’t developed into the player I hoped but I still really like him for his pressing and work rate. He needs to get his numbers up.
Spare: Nelson, Zinchenko, Dowman, Sambi Lokonga, Jesus, Trossard.
That’s pretty much our 25 man squad. I would expect 4/5 to go. Bar last summer when we made ~80m off Smith Rowe, Nketiah and Ramsdale, we are usually awful at selling. I can’t imagine we will get more than 50m for those players I listed.
I can already predict that people will insist that Arsenal MUST win the league. Have people seen what City have spent? Shouldn’t they win the league? Or Chelsea? Their squad cost more than ours? I don’t think we HAVE to win the league but I think our signings have put us in a good position to do so. We were brutal at times last season.
Arteta needs to get more out of our forwards. We went from scoring more goals in a season than the invincibles to Havertz being our top scorer with 9. In seasons gone by, I would’ve said it’s not all on the CF to get the goals as we were good at spreading it around with Saka, Martinelli, Trossard and Odegaard all chipping in very well… But if you’re signing Gyokeres he needs to be getting 20 PL goals.
I’m not sure how it’ll play out but it’s at least a bit exciting that we seem to be getting all of our targets. Injuries will happen but surely now we have players who we can trust to fill in.
Dion, Arsenal
Struggling with Arsenal fansI have to say, I’m finding it tough to be a very enthusiastic Arsenal fan right now.
The actions of 5,000 people putting their names to a petition against signing Madueke has of course been amplified by the media but is toe-curling nonetheless. 5,000 amongst millions of fans is a tiny proportion, hardly representative of the fanbase at large, but 5,000 is still an alarming number of c*nts to call your own. I don’t like Chelsea, I don’t like how they do business and I don’t like that we facilitate them in any way with Arsenal money. But it’s not the lad’s fault. He’s one of ours now so we get behind him and give him an ironic song, that’s how it works.
The Partey thing. Ugh. The Club can explain away the avoidance of disciplinary action in the absence of formal charges being brought to protect the player’s identity, yadda yadda. They could also have taken the decision to sell, thereby ending any association with the player, right? The notion of offering him a new contract is just unfathomable to me.
This isn’t a knee jerk reaction, I’ve spent time thinking about this from different sides and I can’t make head nor tail of it. We’re the club that has done more for the women’s game than any other and seriously promotes inclusivity amongst the fanbase – what sort of bullsh*t mixed-messaging does the decision to offer any sort of new contract give? It’s a stain on the club’s reputation that will never go away.
As for the cretins who abused and harassed Partey’s accusers online for years? It’s enough to make me puke. Who are these people?
I have always loved being associated, in my own tiny insignificant way, with a club that sees itself as a cut above the others, at least aspiring to do things with a bit of class. The Club does so much good through the Arsenal Foundation and is really to be admired for its contribution to the women’s game. We should be celebrating what is shaping up to be a really positive transfer window…signing players who will improve the first 11 and squad that reached a Champions League semi final. But it all just feels a bit like papering over the cracks, peel it back and there’s some grim stuff to deal with.
We’re at a low point in the toxicity – optimism cycle. Hopefully the football will put everyone in better form. Hopefully, certain people who should know better start making better decisions too.
Niallo, Gooner, Uibh Fháilí
…In response to Seamus.
I get Seamus’s reactions.
You can’t denigrate Madueke, Merino, and Calafiori, and then for a reasonable fee for a great striker, still complain.
Isak will never be available, Sesko is too expensive, Ekitike is too expensive, Osimhen could be decent, but Gyokeres is the best option given that Arsenal need a striker.
“I don’t like the way a lot of his goals bounce before they cross the line.”
Give me a break man, that’s ridiculous. He scores goals, that’s all that matters.
Isak will never be available. Give it up.
Strikers score goals, it doesn’t matter if it bounces before it goes in.
Renzo Lau
Catch up, Grandad
Alan, Belfast’s email was a tiny bit TL;DR for me, but before I stopped paying attention, I noticed him asking:
“Different set of players? Is that not true in the national sides from World Cup to World Cup. If a team won and then are automatically in the next iteration, does the squad and starting XI have to be the exact same?”
Er, the team that wins the World Cup ISN’T automatically in the next iteration. They changed that at the start of this century.
Dara O’Reilly, London
Choosing Lionesses over Club World Cup
First and foremost, I’m a football fan. I’ll happily watch most matches on any random channel at any time of day or night. But as a full-time employee and father, the amount of football I can realistically watch is limited.
On Sunday, it was a toss-up between Chelsea v PSG in the Club World Cup or England v Wales in the women’s match. I chose to watch England’s women – and I’m very glad I did.
It was a refreshing game to watch. England looked sharp, like they’re starting to find their rhythm, and after that performance I believe they have a strong chance in this tournament.
I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I had little interest in the Club World Cup this year. I did watch a few games, but something about it just didn’t click with me. The pathetic mess that was watching the fight break out between the men at the end of the final didn’t help—nor did seeing Trump embarrass himself, wandering into Chelsea’s celebrations like someone’s lost grandad.
To me, the Club World Cup hasn’t been a massive success. I feel that summer tournaments should be reserved for international football—something everyone can get behind, free from the tribalism that comes with club allegiances. I understand why Infantino thought it was a good idea, but after a long season, fans and players alike need a break from club football.
Thanks for all the great work you do.
Matt (Gooner exiled in Essex)
CWC = Cup Winners Cup
Always has, always will. Please stop using it for anything else.
The CWC was a much more sensible second (third?) European trophy and made the whole European Super Cup a little more relevant – like the Charity Shield. You got Best Team in Europe vs Luckiest Team in Europe. Now we have Best Team in Europe vs Best Mediocre Team in Europe which makes absolutely no sense.
Ozzy AFC DC
It’s Paco time
In response to Paco’s mail in this afternoon’s mailbox.
Well over 20 years of reading the mailbox and I’ve never read such a load of self-righteous w**kery.
Paco, please, as the youth say, “go outside and touch grass.”
Ta muchly,
Dave (20+ years AND I don’t skip Stewie’s mails) PVFC
Transfers during a tournament? Well…
First off, I agree with quite a lot of what Andy H, Swansea said yesterday. I also think the CWC was a bit shit and really just a big pre-season friendly tournament. The only game I watched was PSG v Real Madrid. Good first half, but by then the game was over.
Anyway, the point of this email is to kind of question Andy H’s point about ‘what sort of tournament allows club transfers during it?’.
They pretty much all do. Premier League? Yep, January window. Champions League? Yep, January window, Europa League? You can see where I’m going with this.
In fact most European leagues will start whilst the summer transfer window is still open. The 2025/2026 CL has already begun!
Granted, this was a relatively short-term tournament, but the point still stands. I do find it a little odd that the window didn’t remain ‘slammed shut’ for the duration of the CWC. It certainly helps if you can spend a load of money on a new striker in time for the semi-final.
But, on the flip side, my team was also carrying out transfer business during this period.
Not impressed by the CWC though and I’m not sure too many football supporters would be sorry to see it quietly withdrawn – unless you’re a Chelsea fan of course.
Arsenal to win everything, something or absolutely nothing this season* (*delete as applicable). Still, it’ll be fun watching what happens either way. I’m lucky/old enough to have seen us be crowned English champions 5 times. If we don’t win it again in my lifetime it’ll be a shame, but it’s only football.
And to cheer me up a little more, Spurs have NEVER won it during my lifetime. And I’m pretty old…
Stu – Mellowing Gooner in France