It’s Good To Be Back
Jul 27th, 2019 by 'holic
Bed time approaches on the eve of the Emirates Cup. It has been the most remarkable day of the close season. Whilst I am loathe to mention it until we have an announcement on arsenal.com there is something incredibly uplifting about the potential record fee to secure the services of Lille’s Nicolas Pepe, and for less than the asking price of a Zaha who failed in the big pond that is Old Trafford.
I’ll get flamed for this, I’m sure, but also I can hardly shed a tear for the injury that has befallen Ryan Shawcross today. I may regret typing this at some point in the future, but I hope we draw Stoke in a cup tie so we can enquire as to who is walking with a limp in the immediate future. Karma, I love you on occasion.
And now to anticipate what lies in wait on the ‘morrow. There is much talk of disruptions to train traffic because of the gorgeous weather. Added to that my local taxi provider seems to have had their phone cut off so I have had to resort to an unconfirmed online booking for first thing in the morning. What could possibly go wrong?
There is much to anticipate. A cameo from Dani Ceballos, hopefully. What an intelligent use of whatever restricted funds there are to secure the services of a major prospect from Real Madrid if only for a season. Teams in the lower leagues have been using such loan deals to build promotion and title winning teams for years now. I have no problems with us following this model as long as the flow of incoming temporary talent is top quality, and limited in numbers.
Is it too much to hope to catch a glimpse of William Saliba in the blue suit, white shirt, and red tie? Perhaps he is already back in France preparing for his loan season with his former employers? It does seem a strange deal, I agree, but bringing him over a year early might have proven to be an error. We don’t know, do we? His signing is however a sign of our faith in the future and our planning is not just knee-jerk short-termism.
I am determined to catch at very least the second-half of the Arsenal women playing Bayern Munich. A big European campaign awaits the WSL champions and this will give us a clue as to where we need to be.
Other than that I am hoping to run into a number of familiar faces, at least in the pub. I no longer will regularly frequent Block 32 but at least I managed to secure a seat in 31 tomorrow, so may see some familiar faces at ‘the next bar to mine’.
It will likely be a long day so the report will probably have to wait for Monday evening, by which time most of you will have seen it too (It’s on Premier Sports here). Roll on 9am and hopefully the first taxi of a new season.
Have a great one, ‘holics.
37 Responses to “It’s Good To Be Back”
Hey ‘holic. Optimism reigns once more. 🙂
Word is next summer we will be on a £35 million transfer budget. Now to read your new one.
A great read, as always, but especially this one. Enjoy your first taste and pint of the new season.
Hoping for good news from cba to add to the air of optimism.
Amen to that bt8.
Mary, how is the loveable old rogue? We miss him.
[…] Original article: https://goonerholic.com/2019/07/its-good-to-be-back/ […]
Incredible couple of days really! Totally agree re-Shawcross. What comes around goes around. And any Stoke fans clutching their pearls need a long, hard look in the mirror. I’ll be in Block 30 tomorrow so I’ll come and say hello if I spot you on the concourse.
I’m having a non-sporting weekend . Grandson’s birthday today at the Big Cat Sanctuary ( fabulous) and visiting a terminally ill friend tomorrow . There’s always another football game, tomorrow may be the last time we see her.
Despite melancholy thoughts today seems invigorating. Deals are different nowadays and not done on the spur of the moment but the signs are good. Raul tends to use agents very differently to Arsene and we’ve gazumped Napoli but then London is a nicer place to live than Naples and we are a much bigger club than them . If we get Tierney I hope we can add an experienced CB on a free if necessary . Good to hear Rob Holding is in full training.
Expect some outs with the window staying open in Europe longer than ours .? Xhaka…Mustafi…Mkhi? We could lose them all without worrying
Enjoy your day Holic! ?
I may regret typing this at some point in the future
If you do, just remind yourself of what caused you to type it and the regret will soon disappear.
Gliding through your pre-season warm-up, ‘Holic, barely breaking sweat. One Emirates Cup does not a season make, but good to feel the first rays of a new season dawning. Hope everyone going enjoys a thoroughly good afternoon and sees oodles of promise in the new signings.
There is a 30-year-old CB, Daniel Schwaab, available on a free, just released by PSV Eindhoven but also with 188 Bundesliga games under his belt. Yes, I know he is a German CB, but lightening won’t strike twice, surely…
Martin Skrtel is also available, and only a year older than Cahill. Younes Kaboul, too (available, not a year older than Cahill).
Jack Hobbs is also available, which would be useful if we ever needed a CB who could also open the batting.
Easy this scouting lark. You just look up stuff.
But we’ve missed out on
Verminator Part 2 as Tommy V
has gone to Vissel Kobe,
which is just down the road
from me.
Devon Stu,
@50 last drinks
I must admit that unpleasant
thought crossed my mind too.
But after I thought about it
a bit it seemed unlikely.
Other than truly ridiculous
money why would he go
there?
OM@12: Quite the reunion for Tommy V at Vissel. Lukas Podolski, once of this parish, is there, I believe, and so are ex-Barca chums, Iniesta, David Villa and Sergi Samper.
It is indeed Ned. In fact Barca
played a friendly against Vissel
this weekend – I wanted to go
with my son but he couldn’t get
back to Osaka. We’ve pencilled
in a Vissel game this summer
though and I’ll let you know how
much running Lucas is doing
these days 🙂
Lukas that is 🙁
Get the players names
right Matt.
Fine preview Guvna. You’re probably in transit now but I hope you enjoy the game today and that the journey is smoother than you anticipate. I look forward to your first eye-witness report of the season.
Meanwhile fingers crossed that the strong reports of incoming talent prove correct.
I hope we sign Tierney and would ok with Cahill joining for a season but none of the others Ned mentioned. Unlike many here, I’d rather stick with what we have at cb. With Tierney we’ll be covered at full back and can use Nacho, Sokratis, Holding, Chambers and Mustafi at cb. I am hoping that Ceballos and Pepe will give the team a better balance in midfield and on the flanks, something we have lacked for years. That in turn might help us defend more effectively.
Would our first choice team, in the unlikely event they are all fit at the same time, be:
Leno
Bellerin — Holding — Sokratis — Monreal/Tierney
Torriera — Cabellos
Pepe — Ozil — Aubameyang
Lacazette
Cup team:
Martinez
Jenkinson — Chambers — Mapravanos/Mustafi — Kolasinac
Xhaka/Willock — Guendouzi/Maitland-Niles/Elneny
Nelson/Iwobi — ESR — Mkhitaryan/Saka
Nketiah
Leno
Bellerin — Holding — Sokratis — Monreal/Tierney
Torriera — Cabellos
Pepe — Ozil — Aubameyang
Lacazette
Don’t think so, I reckon Xhaka is nailed on to play alongside Torreira and then we’ll find a blend that pushes Ceballos more into a number ten role.
That would logically be at the expense of Ozil, if we haven’t sold him before the end of the window, but we might see him used wide (I hope not).
Nice stuff H. I hope you enjoy your day. Crap weather up here at the moment so I hope the rain holds.
I can’t really show any pleasure at any player getting injured. However, if I was told that I had to nominate one player who would fall victim to such an injury then Shawcross would be top of the list. Personally, I would not lower myself to bother with the underclass that are Stoke fans. I find them totally repulsive and lacking in anything remotely associated with class. We are better than that
Like you, I won’t be celebrating any signings until it’s confirmed as official. I do hope that recent media coverage results in a positive feeling around the place today though.
Am I the only one who still thinks that the jury is still out on Holding? Yes, I think he is an excellent prospect and was progressing well before his unfortunate injury. I hope he becomes the rock at the back for the next 10 years plus, I just think he has a long way to go. I hope he becomes the player that we all want him to become, I’m just not fully convinced as yet. Still very much a work in progress. That’s not to say I’m not very hopeful.
For those going I will be interested to know what you think of the Camden Ales, assuming they are up and running?
Cynic@20: What you say about Xhaka and Cabellos makes sense. Ozil has only two seasons left on his contract, so he gets competition for his place this season from Cabellos and from ESR the one after that. Not that Emery as any compunction about not playing Ozil.
Important seasons coming up for Willock, Maitland-Niles, Nelson and Iwobi.
…Emery has any compunction…
Cheers Holic !
I would have joined you today – still getting emails from the club yesterday about tickets for sale – but I’m in Westward Ho! this week, playing in the waves.
No chance of streaming on the WiFi down here – would be quicker to walk back to London and watch it live !
Mary / herself. – any news on cba – hope all is as well as could be expected …. ?
AMN is a talent, just not a right back. No effort there to stop Dupay’s cross.
Defence under pressure – solution – bring on Mustafi. Holy smoke.
Bit of deja vu, there: woeful defending for the goals and lack of ruthless finishing at the other end.
If I had ever been here before,
I would probably know just what to do
Hey, don’t you, Unai?
Deja Vu indeed, Ned, but some good performances nevertheless and a good song to boot but not the best on the album.
Brilliant German GP and tough to keep a good eye on that and the game.
Nelson certainly caught the eye, BtM.
Oops, bit slow on the uptake there, BtM. Should have said Nelson certainly caught the Judy Blue Eyes.
Interesting that after years of turning our backs on the super agents we have hired Mendes to push through the Pépé transfer.
Excited as I am by the prospect of signing a played of his calibre this transfer feels very murky to me and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a twist in the tail especially if Liverpool are seriously interested. I won’t believe it until I see him in the red and white on Arsenal.com
Not good results for the men
or the women.
Only a friendly so no need to
worry overly as obviously in a
serious game our defence won’t
gift anyone 2 goals like that….
Good news would be Auba scored
and Laca’s injury is not bad
according to UE.
I cannot understand those pundits who are saying the (potential) signing of Pepe is a mistake when the money should have been spent on our leaky defence. Sources in Glasgow say that the Tierney deal is essentially done, even though we should have sorted it weeks ago; Holding will be back soon after the season starts, and Bellers shouldn’t be far behind. It’s been obvious for some time that it would be a good piece of business to get Cahill in for a season and replace him with Saliba for next.
Arsenal has become a very factionalised club and some of the factions have what I believe is a very negative almost nihilistic agenda. Much springs from anti-Kroenke sentiment and there are few who dislike his ownership of our great club more than me. But it must be said that since the joint statement and petition last week we have seen some remarkable changes and there suddenly appears to be an ambitious and can do agenda. If we get Pépé over the line it will generate huge excitement because he could be one of the heirs to the crown that Messi and Ronaldo have worn for many years. If we did add Tierney and a good centre back either on loan or a free AND can unload some of those wasting space and money on the roster it would signify a very positive step forward. I’m not sure if Khedira makes quite as much sense but it would if Xhaka exits for big bucks .
Sanllehi is taking the club almost 180 degrees away from the early days of Wenger but appears to be using his more limited resources intelligently . Perhaps the plan was always there or was tweaked after the petition it now we may have an interesting season to look forward to
Pepe would be a better buy than Zaha. Better player and slightly cheaper. Also Reiss Nelson’s stats are as good or better than Zaha’s, except for attacking dribbling. Perfectly good option as a back-up or rotation for Pepe.
A CB with speed seems the essential buy if this coming season is to amount to anything. In the lies, damn lies and statistics department, the statos at CIES in Switzerland have our three top ranking CBs of the past six months as Monreal (25th overall in the top five European leagues), Koscielny (34th=) and Mustafi (118th=), in that order. Two of those wouldn’t be the first picks for the position for most in this bar and the other one seems to have one foot out of the door, anyway.
Yeah but we’d be quids in with Zaha if we could source some bankrupt stock Duane Dibbley t-shirts.
At last. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>