Arsenal winger options
Arsenal winger options
If not Vinicius Jnr for Arsenal, then who? Plus, why Liverpool are not weaker this season and Kobbie Mainoo is fine.
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If not Vinicius for Arsenal, then who?
There is a 0% chance of Vini Jr joining Asrenal. Vini will get his crazy contract, and hopefully that means Real simply torch their own chances of a balanced squad and team.
Who are the LW alternatives tho? I am surprised however that there doesn’t seem to be much talk about Nico Willams. He has always been a long-term target for Arsenal. Barca have spent their money on Gordon. Williams has a relatively normal 100m Euro release clause. Imo this would be a great and realistic target.
In the event there are no real Tier 1 options, then I would keep Martinelli and perhaps consider adding Rashford to the squad.
Martinelli, Tzolis and Rashford would be good rotation on the LW. Rashford also brings something the Arsenal squad don’t have, the ability to actually play a good counter-attack and shooting from direct free kicks.
OR here is a crazy thought.. go back in for Mudryk. If it’s cheap enough it’s worth a punt. Another huge redemption arc.
Hats
Is Guimaraes going to be a red problem for Arsenal?
Hello, Exciting stuff for Arsenal to be signing a player like Guimaraes. I have only really seen him against Arsenal and despite his obvious qualities I am a bit worried because he always seems to be allowed to make a lot of fouls (and a forearm smash to the back of the head in one instance).
I am not sure that he gets away with those at Arsenal so am feeling like we could be lining ourselves up for several red cards next season. Given that the lack of red cards was one of the major reasons we won the league last season I am feeling a tiny bit nervous on this one.
If he does stay the right side of the line we now have 4 very strong midfielders in Rice, Zubi, Lewis-Skelly and Guimaraes (plus utility man and all round nice guy Merino). So fingers crossed eh.
Like most Arsenal fans I am still feeling that Vini Jr is using Arsenal for leverage on his contract OR if he does move we get gazumped by Man City or some other oil club. Would be absolutely mad if we do though; I fear that there are no enough replica shirts being made to supply the demand this would have; rival fans I apologies in advance for the deafening volume of adverts this guy will be fronting in the ridiculous number of kits we seem to have.
If he doesn’t come (I don’t think he will) I feel for whoever fills that spot as they will inevitably be less glamourous.
Hope you all are having a nice summer!
Nice one,
James
Are Liverpool actually weaker this season?
Answering Samuel Bannister’s (probably hypothetical) question, “Liverpool setting Andoni Iraola up for failure with lack of squad depth” – No, I don’t think they are.
The basic straw man in this article is, I believe, incorrect, “Since the end of the season, they’ve lost Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson. In their respective positions, they’ve added Munoz (but more for the left-hand side) and Jacquet, and welcomed Kostas Tsimikas back from a loan spell at Roma. Even considering Salah, Konate and Robertson’s declines, it’s hard to see anything but a net regression. And that from a squad that was underachieving last season.”.
He will forever remain a club legend, but last season Salah was awful. Not providing any attacking threat and not tracking back, meant Liverpool were exposed continually on their right. I often thought they would be better playing with 10 men, as at least others would be forced to cover the space. Jacquet is definitely a solid replacement for Konate (and Leoni will be back), and Tsimikas is a good back-up left back – he was the back-up in the title winning season. In addition, Liverpool will have a fully fit Isak, hopefully back to his best. How can that not be an improvement on last year?
There’s still a month to go in the transfer window, and it’s very probable Liverpool will build on their foundation with a couple more signings. But this notwithstanding, It may not be “hard to see anything but a net regression” for some, but I think that is overly negative.
Rob
READ: Ranking the Big Eight (that’s a thing) by banter season potential
Not fair on Mainoo
Some fair comments from George Jenkins regarding whether Mainoo is still in the first XI at United when the season kicks off, but there are a few things I’d argue that mean he is entitled to a full 3 week break, despite not playing over the summer.
He travelled. I know it was all first class etc., but it was still a lot of miles. He will have also been training in sub-optimal conditions given the heat. I think the break is necessary, if not as much physically then mentally
I think it was Bergkamp who was credited as being one of the first foreign players to refuse to play through injuries/exhaustion, arguing that he was better served missing the odd game than being ran into the ground or suffering an injury. Mainoo could quite sensibly be thinking the same thing.
We will hopefully play over 55 games next season, so having Mainoo fit and fresh from the off is a huge bonus. If we can start strong then hopefully the momentum from the second half of last season can be maintained, instead of squandered away.
I really wanted Mount to do well at United, I like him as a player and he seems like a decent guy as well. But we cannot possibly plan for him being fit for the majority of the season, especially playing in CM for United with the possibility of 2 or 3 games a week until next May
A fit and on form Mainoo is (currently) ahead of Santos and probably Tielemans (at least until he is fully integrated into the team). He offers something that we, and many other teams, don’t have with his quick incisive passing and ability to move the ball forward at pace
To be clear, I don’t think George is making an outlandish argument, and appreciate that this is just a difference in opinion, but given Mainoo’s track record (by all accounts a very mature, hard working and responsible young man) there is no reason to believe he is doing anything other than preparing for the new season in the way he and the wider team at United have agreed is best.
Jack (If Rashford doesn’t move on then he needs to accept he starts the season on the bench) Manchester
Premier League predictions time
Always part of the season that throws up some properly interesting stuff in the mailbox, long may it continue. For what it’s worth, here’s a few bits and pieces my crystal ball tells me will absolutely, definitely, possibly or probably won’t happen;
Arsenal and Chelsea to slug it out for the title.
Arbeloa, O’Neill (spoke well, I thought) and Jaissle to slug it out for ‘First One Gone’ (with Sage close behind?).
Coventry to stick with Lamps, regardless. But no, seriously he’ll need to perform or he could be gone.
Phil Foden to score at least 10 league goals.
Watching Hull games will be brilliant for everybody apart from Hull fans.
Liverpool to finish outside the Top 6.
Youri Tielemans will be absolutely mint. He & Bruno look made for each other, don’t they?
Jordan Henderson will not.
Spurs launch another brand of ‘Spursy’. Ladies and Gentleman, I give you: Spursy Vol. 427b “Ange-Ball Lite with the occasional garnish of bat-shit mental”.
Leeds, Sunlun’ & Newcastle to be eternally grateful to Ipswich, Hull & Coventry.
Haaland to casually score 278 goals whilst not looking remotely interested, and in doing so, further fuelling Roy Keane’s appetite for wrath.
Andy FTM (One Day I’ll Fly Away by Randy Crawford currently playing on my little wireless at work. Just wonderful).
Beckham loved? Really?
Beckham to take Infantino’s job because he’s universally liked and respected adidasMUFC? Are you high? The prime bit on his rap sheet is taking £10m to fluff the Qataris and sell their World Cup. This is David Beckham the billionaire who is from the Jordan Henderson school of ‘yeah, I know I SAID I was an LGBTQ+ ally, but have you seen how much wedge the human rights abusers are offering??’ (incidentally Kopites, are we still claiming ole too many teeth is some kind of wow player rather than a simple water carrier & teacher’s pet now he’s gone to Chelsea?)
And that’s before we even discuss the complete lack of personality, the voice that makes Joe Pasquale sound like James Earl Jones, the endless arse kissing before even the inbreds at Windsor Castle gave him a knighthood just to stop him squeaking, shagging the help, the wooden performances in every advert he’s in ever – very much from the Arteta school of charisma, and the posing with f***ing jellied eels.
Nah.
RHT/TS x
(NTFC biz so far: 7 in – all loans, 14 out, £0 spent, £1.35m made – stop whining PL “fans”)
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