Alexis The Key To Our Summer Business?
Jun 24th, 2017 by 'holic
It’s summer, and for me in recent years the lack of the Arsenal has allowed me to spend time experimenting with new tastes. This evening it was a balti naan, two products I have enjoyed before but not in a kind of Asian calzone. Very tasty, and followed up with a bottle of Tennessee cider blended with Jack Daniels (other American whiskeys are available!). That also was very enjoyable.
Lulled into a false sense of wellbeing I ventured into the world of NewsNow, which of course at this time of year is full of ‘exclusives’ about the players coming and going from the Arsenal. I acquired a sense of mistrust and dissatisfaction at all of this speculation in the early days of the Arsene Wenger reign. Why did we never sign George Weah, Hatem Trabelsi et al who were linked with us every summer, it seemed. Sebastian Frey, Lillian Thuram, the list was endless.
And so it remains. This summer is being talked up as some sort of revolution at N7. Alexis, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Olivier Giroud could (I hate that word) be going out of one side of the revolving door as Alexandre Lacazette, Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Lemar, and Aleksandr Golovin walk in the other side. Oh, and Riyad Mahrez. The latter is I think the latest in a long line of players who will be linked with us every summer until he retires.
As for the first two, I do understand why they are generating some excitement. The French strikers were linked with us last summer too, and quite why one or other didn’t put pen to paper is another chapter that will be interesting to read if and when Arsene ever gets round to writing ‘that’ book. Both were reportedly available at lower prices than we are being rumoured to be willing to pay now. The mystery (and misuse) of Lucas Perez may never be known. There is another being linked with an exit, understandably.
For the first time in a few years I did watch a fair bit of French football this season just ended, and the thought of both Lacazette and Mbappe wearing the cannon on the chest is a dream, but surely one that will not become a reality. To make it so I suspect will mean that Alexis Sanchez has been allowed to leave in exchange for a hefty fee, thus freeing up cash for the French internationals and their salaries. That isn’t an ITK view by the way, just my own opinion based on little more concrete than the tittle-tattle I have read elsewhere, and the fact that although FFP may be dead in the water we still have to comply with the Premier League’s wages cap.
I also suspect that the summer’s dealings depend heavily on Alexis being the first block to removed or allowed to stay in the jenga tower that is this transfer window. Get it sorted, and quickly, please Gunners.
Art of Football
If you missed it in the last post then this is a reminder of the huge thanks to our old friends at Art of Football (click here for their website) who have provided some raffle/auction prizes to those good people @TheGunnersPub for their Grenfell fundraiser with Hardeep Singh Kohli on July 1st.
We will be featuring Art of Football Arsenal designs, such as the excellent Seventh Heaven tee shown above, for the next month or so. If you feel guilty about missing my fifty-tenth birthday earlier in the year I am a size XXL!
That’s me done for another evening, so as ever, have a great one ‘holics.
55 Responses to “Alexis The Key To Our Summer Business?”
‘holic,
Interesting to read you’ve watched some Ligue 1 this past season, as most people opining on the usefulness of Lacazette seem to be basing their conclusions on a few YouTube clips.
Given what you’ve seen, and if, as seems likely, we end up with Lacazette (sorry, I know you hate speculation), do you think he improves our squad considerably? (I’m assuming we’re getting Lacazette and not Mbappe). What do you think he brings to the squad that we don’t have already?
Cheers,
Chris
First in tonight?
Apparently not.
Chris W@1: Someone who scores every 157 minutes against someone who scores every 163 minutes (Giroud). Lacazette is also a lot more mobile than Giroud and can play wide right or left and as a No 10. If Lacazette is signed, I wouldn’t want to see Giroud sold. There is need for both of them..
Greetings Holic. I’m going to be trying some malts up here in Caledonia and I hope you’re enjoying your culinary delights.
I don’t think much of the speculation is very accurate around Arsenal and it all rests on if we retain Sanchez and Ozil. If we don’t we are effectively building a complete new side…again. I will also be disappointed to see Ox go if he does. I think we could have got more out of that boy than we have. Just as I think we could have got more out of Theo.
As for Lacazette I would be dubious that this deal is teed up as Aulas at Lyon is a nightmare to deal with. I suspect they will want Giroud in return to do business. I do hope we can snare Lemar who is a real talent and I’d like a big clunking midfielder to add some power to Xhaka’s poise. Car also impressed me in the Euros but he’s another that we have been linked with forever- just like Andy Sinton for those with long memories ( he went to Spurs) . I think we are ok at centre back but if Butland is available he would be a great long- term purchase.
But who knows anything . I certainly don’t think there are many ITKs nowadays .
TTG knows.
For the record Chris W is not me, even though I am also a Chris W. I suspect Max when I wasn’t looking…
Giroud scores every 157 minutes, Ned? His Prem record last season was something like a goal every 99 minutes, and last time I tried calculating all appearances for the season, including CL, FAC and LC, it was 1 every 129 minutes and easily the best return in the club.
Where is your reference, I cannot find anywhere that includes all these in the stats? I assume we only include the playing time minutes he was on the pitch.
Ray Milland style, cba? (last drinks round). How old are you??
Last time I remember Ray Milland was shortly after I arrived in Australia in 1967. Sydney’s major theatre was covered in signage announcing Ray Milland, In Person, Alive On Stage!! And here was me assuming he’d been dead for years. And wondering where on Earth I’d washed up in after leaving behind the West End where I had regularly watched everyone from Olivier and Gielgud to Tony Hancock and Spike Milligan via Robertson Hare and Barbra Streisand – all ‘alive on stage’.
Hollywood has-been Ray Milland was a discouraging start to my downunder sojourn.
Chris@7: My numbers were for career. I concur exactly with yours for last season. And yes, minutes played per goal.
chris
the lost weekend is a favourite film of mine
has been even before i started on the gargle meself
and
as i said before
from the mighty ‘holic down
there’s a book lurking in loads of drinkers here
not least yerself
.
happy sunday
UP THE ARSENAL
I’ll apply a bit of WD40 to that revolving door for you.
Nice bit of schmutter, Guvna.
Morning all.
Chris, from what I have seen of Lacazette he is an upgrade on Welbeck in that he is a very good finisher, and there are few players of that quality readily available.
He also has pace, control, and the ability to play across the front line. He could play with or instead of Giroud, and/or be the replacement for Alexis on the left.
The numbers according to Sky.
FFP dead in the water????? Please delete that before BTM reads it. FFP was the club’s saviour and always going to be a major reason why the financial gurus that are the AFC board were going to dominate for centuries? Who would have thought that clubs would find a way around it?
For the very first home game of the 98/99 season I exited Arsenal station to be greeted by the normal seller of The Gooner. First game of the season and with some time to spare I thought, why not? I remember reading an article about transfer gossip and speculation. Now consider that this was nearly 20 years ago and therefore nowhere near as technical as today.
Over the closed season we had been linked with 176 players. The article named each individual source for each player that we were watching, scouting, bidding for, signing etc. Out of those players something like only 40 actually moved clubs. Out of those 176 we signed one. Nelson Vivas. Since this day I refuse to believe anything until it’s officially announced. Clearly there has been more than one occasion when there is a case of no smoke without fire. But until it’s official, I will not be 100% convinced.
Of course, in Sept 1998 we went out and bought Freddie. Not a bad signing as it turned out.
Good strategy Steve T. It saves a lot of heartbreak.
I’m still waiting for that fella Obafemi Martens to arrive. Is he still only 26?
Are Saloman Kalou and Shay Given still in the waiting room?
I think it’s funny to think Bath that several NBT’s, along with those you quote, have gone from NBT, to nearly signed to now retired.
It’s been going on that long
Yep, just get Samba and that should be
our business done for the summer.
Lacazette’s numbers for the past 3
seasons are much better than his
career average I think. He’s 26 now
and if he adapts to the PL he could
be good for 4 or 5 seasons.
Just as in Arsenal’s case, once this rock formation is retooled, there is a need for some balls to be added.
Norwegians raise money to re-erect penis-shaped rock formation – the guardian
https://apple.news/AnE7Sgr1mNRygwArxLNrGiw
Please pardon me that last intervention. It was undeniably base not to mention off base.
Lovely stuff Steve T (#14), but speculating will never be eradicated. And what a coup if you actually get one right! No one will remember the hundreds you get wrong, ay.
Me, I’m really looking forward to our Alexis, Mbappe, Griezmann front three next season, with Forsberg at 10 and a back three of Hector, Bonucci and Kos. Any three from Rambo, Xhaka, Ox, Santi and Elneny filling the gaps in midfield. OG and Theo as late subs.
There you go, AW, make it happen.
This lull is clearly driving me nuts. Not to mention Bein Sports upping their monthly by 50% from 1 Aug, the bastards.
Chris
I admire your optimism but you don’t do positional set-ups do you!?( I realise this is a tongue in cheek selection)
This is the trouble with Fantasy Football it pays no respect to formations or positional preferences.
If you play 3-4-3 you have two wing backs, two pivots in midfield , three at the back ( all defenders) and three upfront . It may sound petty but a lot of the Wenger critics can’t just pick the best eleven and hope he can fit them in.
Your forward upgrades are Griezmann and Mbappe( who would cost about £200 mill). Griezmann would be wasted wide so I’d bring in your boy Forsberg. You don’t have a 10 in a 3-4-3 and the area where we really need an upgrade is in midfield. In the pivot you need one who holds more often and one who gets forward . I’d get a really good holding midfielder and then get Xhaka , Ramsey and Elneny to compete for the other spot. With the Europey League taking its toll there will be many injuries so everyone will get a game – we are sorted at the back unless we decide to sell Mustafi or Gabriel. We have a lot of options there .
Nice shopping list Chris. Kindly send a large contribution to Arsenal FC, 75 Drayton Park, London, 7. ?
Nice strategy, TTG. Fancy a job? ?
Thanks Bath. I’m not free on Thursday evenings though?
All birthday greetings to bath in the next 2 hours and 25 minutes will, I’m sure, be gratefully received. 🙂
Happy birthday tomorrow Bath.
A glass of Bunnahabhain on the bar for you. My new favourite malt!
Thanks again Guvna.
TTG@24, that’s a shame.
TTG@26, it’s today and as the Guvna said, your kind wishes are gratefully received.
Bunnahabhain is very, very nice and often on special offer in Waitrose but it’s not a patch on Highland Park 18 yo (if you can find it) – I still have two bottles, well one and a bit. It’s also easier to spell and easier to say!
Happy birthday, Bath.
Enjoy the Highland Park.
Bunnahabhain used to be owned by the current owners of Highland Park, which is probably of little interest to anyone.
Thanks Ned. Is there any fact that the Monks don’t know?
for bath
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwNcxd9Jf9I
one of life’s gooduns
sláinte
Happy birthday Bath
May your Caber be tossed on this auspicious day.
I have a bottle of Glendronach Original Highland single malt,
[ aged 12 yrs ] in my cupboard.
Someone gave it to me years ago,so it is probably over 20yrs old now.
Is it a good drop ??
Tongue in cheek of course, TTG, and for #10 please read ‘playmaker’. I would also have sorted the midfield but my brain was too tired. Although I would disagree about midfield being the major problem. In my opinion we miss too many chances up front, and make too many mistakes at the back. We have enough talent in midfield if these problems are sorted, although I’m sure there are better in a fantasy world.
Have a good one bath, and for those interested I turn three-quarters of a century next Sunday. Note ‘three-quarters of a century’, the actual number is too distressing to say/write out loud. 🙁
While remembering anniversaries, here is one recorded exactly 50 years ago today (plus one week) … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bld_-7gzJ-o
Enjoy
Holic at 13,
Out of Lacazette’s 37 goals last season 14 came off penalties.
Happy birthday Chris. You seem to be mellowing somewhat with your extremely advanced age. 😉 ??
Same to bath if a little belated birthday wishes. 🙂
ksn: The monks count only 11 penalties in Lacazette’s 37 goals last season — three vs Caen and one each against Guingamp, Toulouse, Bastia, Nantes, Lille, Nancy and Dijon (all in Ligue 1) and Ajax in the Europa League. Which have they missed?
cba@30, many thanks. Great link. Really enjoyed it. I’d forgotten about the charms of Ivor Cutler, “There’s nothing like a Scottish education. My head is full of irregular verbs, still!” ?
Clive@31, I don’t believe I’ve ever tasted that one. It’s from MacDuff, just outside Speyside on the Deveron. It looks as if that ‘Original 12’ is hard to find now and no longer bottled. Jim Murray’s 2012 Whisky Bible rates it both as a dram and for the colourful blurb on the back about Glendeveron’s early popularity with the ladies of the night in Edinburgh’s Canongate. He, as a whisky taster, poses a germane question about expectoration or gurgitation. It seems they now label their products simple ‘Deveron’. Slàinte mhath ?
Thanks Chris and bt8. Reciprocations for next week Chris. Just in case I forget, which is quite possible! ????
and Clive, I recommend swallowing.
‘extremely advanced age’, bt8? Thank you for that!
I’ll tell you what made me feel old when I was searching the family archives a while back … I had an uncle who fought in the trenches in WW1! That’s 100 years ago and just one generation back ffs.
I have his letters home. He seems to have spent most of his time praying. Can’t say I blame him. There were quite a few godwallahs in that strain of the family, including one great uncle who went to America as a missionary (why do I find that so funny?) where God allowed him to be killed in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.
You can’t win you know.
Thnks for the education Bath.
Is there a website where diehard lovers of hard to find single malts can go to bid for them at a live on air auction. ??
Might get a few bob for mine.
Check this site out: https://www.whiskyauction.com
I’ve never used it so can’t recommend it for either sale or purchase.
BTW does your bottle have the blurb that Jim Murray relates about the ladies of the night?
Glendronach have a 1968 single malt that you might like to compare with yours, Clive. It sells here for a mere NZ$6,107. (roughly £3,000). I’d be more than happy to taste test for you, if you fund it. 😀
Bath
No it doesn’t.
Just all the info about the history of the Distillery etc,but the bottle is personally signed by the head Distiller Billy Walter or Walton, ??
cannot quite make out his scribble.
Chris,
When the bottle was given to me,it was covered in dust,so would think the giver had had it stored for a while.
That was over 10yrs ago,so would assume it would be from early 90’s or late 80’s.
But don’t know how you date it.
Clive, it’s Billy Walker who is described by Michael Jackson (no, the other one) as the irrepressible frontman of Benriach Distillery Company who bought Glendronach from Pernod Ricard in 2008.
http://www.harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/6380/BenRiach_acquires_Glendronach_from_Chivas_Brothers.html
I suspect the bottle is worth a fair bit but not £3k.
cba my findings on the speech patterns of Swedish cows:
Mööööööööööööööööööö
Hope the US Customs won’t send me through the agricultural inspection for that one. ?????
NBN at 37,
You are right about 11 penalties but even that accounts for 30% of his goals which is quite high.
Got my stats about Lacazette from the following site which listed 14 penalties when sorted for ’16-17′ but I now notice that three relate to 15-16 season.
https://www.transfermarkt.com/alexandre-lacazette/elfmetertore/spieler/93720
? chris
.
? bt8
and from rudimentary swedish pronunciation
gleaned from lamps and bookshelves
swedish cows appear to moooooooooooooooooooooo
with a hull accent
fascinating
.
bet the monks already knew that
the clever fellas
Lies, damned lies and statistics, ksn. 🙂
For all Swedish cows in tonight:
A guide to speaking Hull
http://www.greengates.karoo.net/hull/speak.html
I don’t mind if Lacazette got 11
penalties last season but how many
did he miss? We could do with a
more reliable penalty taker as well.
OM,
He missed three penalties in 16-17. He is good at penalties and, overall, would be a good addition to our first team. At 5’9″ he is a little short but he is strong, pacy and has a good shot with either foot. A good finisher. His weakness is that he is not good at heading. He and Giroud would make a good pair as their strengths complement and they are used to playing together for the French national team. Hope we get him and, of course, retain Sanchez and Ozil.
The eternal verities: football is a game of two halves the Germans win on penalties.
So we lost on penalties, the topic of the day. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>