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Vinai And Raul – Part 2

May 23rd, 2019 by 'holic

Arsenal.com have published the second part of the interview with Vinai Venkatesham and Raul Sanllehi, and there was pretty good explanation of how the structure of the club has changed in the past year.

I have to say that Sanllehi, far more in control of this part of the interview, is an accomplished talker in a foreign tongue. Some may dismiss his smooth patter as well-coached PR but actually I thought he came across as sincere and knowledgeable as you would need your head of football to be.

His likening of the new structure as a skeleton on which we will add muscle and heart. It was good to see the first team put at the head of the skeleton, that’s obviously how it should be, But the emphasis on the academy pushing talent upwards through the legs was very clear. We need to be producing more homegrown talent because that is how all the big clubs act, he said. I’m assuming he disregards the freakish nature of Manchester City’s and PSG’s situation as somehow ignoring them as big clubs.

Even better was the importance of data, analytics, and performance maximisation incorporated. These are areas that we have developed significantly in the last year and we had thought ourselves better advanced than most beforehand. Technical quality allied to better fitness are areas we have perhaps not mastered in recent seasons. Raul’s explanation of using the data to avoid mistakes was probably aimed not just at the current squad, but any future acquisitions too.

To think Ivan Gazidis has been replaced by Vinai suggests how little he contributed, or was allowed to, in the club under Arsene Wenger’s domination. How much the boss did is emphasised by the appointment not just of a head coach, but also a technical director (Edu?) and head of football operations.

We were warned in part one that the discussion would get into the area of contracts and transfers. Raul went further than we might have expected with the Aaron Ramsey situation, and was frankly and rightly critical of us having allowed him to reach the final year of his contract. He did confirm that it was us who withdrew the offer of the contract and explained that the likely offer we would have had to make him to stay would have ‘imbalanced’ the dressing room.

I’m not convinced by the latter point when it is known that we have at least three players earning in excess of £150k per week. I did pick up on an aside he made about Aaron continuing to receive large offers from other clubs. Strictly speaking this was tapping up last Autumn, but all clubs do it as Raul hinted at earlier. That does tie in with the possibility of Raul and/or Vinai having taken umbrage to Aaron being hawked around by his agent after we thought a deal was close.

He was very reassuring about how prepared we were for the transfer window and how he personally hates deals being stretched out to the last day. The proof of the pudding will obviously be in the eating but let’s hope he delivers on what I am sure are his honestly held views.

If you haven’t watched it I would recommend you find a spare 25 minutes. I do feel a bit more positive having watched it, but then I have very rose-tinteds, as you well know.

Have a good one, ‘holics.

Posted in comment | 53 Drinks

53 Responses to “Vinai And Raul – Part 2”

  1. on 23 May 2019 at 8:12 pm1Esso

    Cheers H!

  2. on 23 May 2019 at 8:14 pm2Cynic

    Vivai and Raul sounds like a camp Vegas magic act from around 1982.

  3. on 23 May 2019 at 8:14 pm3Cynic

    Vinai as well.

    Bloody typos.

  4. on 23 May 2019 at 8:26 pm4Goonerholic

    Evening both. We’re putting the band back together! ?

  5. on 23 May 2019 at 9:20 pm5Dexter

    Shame about Welbeck leaving…

  6. on 23 May 2019 at 9:24 pm6Cynic

    Not much call for a kazoo player in a band like this, sadly.

  7. on 23 May 2019 at 10:07 pm7Goonerholic

    Appears to have been his decision, although I suspect he was probably offered a pay as you play deal given his injury record. He will do better. No legend, but a great third option up front. Shame but not a disaster. Good luck and thank you, Dan Dan.

  8. on 23 May 2019 at 10:22 pm8Goonersince54

    Evening H
    I must say,i have been impressed by V and R, if they can walk the walk as well as they talk the talk,then hopefully come early August with a few shiny new additions to the first team squad,we will be looking forward to the new season with plenty of optimism.
    A man can hope can’t he. ??

  9. on 23 May 2019 at 10:36 pm9Goonerholic

    We are as one, Clive. I hope all is well, you old Rambler, you. ??

  10. on 23 May 2019 at 10:51 pm10North Bank Ned

    cba from the last drinks: I’ll ask Thelonious Monk.

  11. on 23 May 2019 at 10:52 pm11North Bank Ned

    You’ve whetted my appetite for part two of V&S, ‘Holic.

  12. on 23 May 2019 at 10:56 pm12bathgooner

    Interesting post, Guvna. I haven’t seen the interviews yet but I am encouraged by your report and your clear optimism. Hoping for better.

  13. on 23 May 2019 at 10:57 pm13Goonersince54

    All well with the Waterman clan Dave,
    I trust the same can be said for you and yours,now you seem to be over the worst of your illness,although depending on how things go in Baku next Wednesday,we might both have a relapse. !!
    On the subject of Baku,i had a text from my brother today,to say that not one of his big group of Arse fanatics, is going to the final.
    He reckons a lot of tickets have been returned,and he has a few Chelsea mates,and none of their crew are going either.
    So no idea what the numbers will be who actually are going to be there in person.
    If that’s the case for the supporters of the 2 teams actually playing,
    i wonder how many of the recipients of tickets handed out to corporate sponsors et al, will find a reason not to go either.
    Could be a total disaster played in a half empty stadium.

  14. on 23 May 2019 at 11:30 pm14Goonerholic

    Thanks all. I’m definitely better, Clive.

    The last I heard we had sold around 2800 tickets, Chelsea had sold 600, and the corporates were returning them wholesale. UEFA have fucked up big time. This Final will be played in front of a Championship audience.

    Those who give a shit have been well and truly crapped on by UEFA.

  15. on 24 May 2019 at 1:52 am15OsakaMatt

    Thanks for the post Guvnor.

    Ivan used to give a good interview
    too. Basically it will come down to
    whether we buy well this summer
    and then whether UE can weld the
    new players into a more balanced,
    consistent side that wins more games.
    All the good intentions and corporate
    speak don’t matter.

  16. on 24 May 2019 at 1:56 am16OsakaMatt

    It seems the Ramsey thing
    was just Raul marking his
    territory.

    Would have been nice if he
    could have chosen a cheaper
    way to do it.

  17. on 24 May 2019 at 10:08 am17Dexter

    Yes H. Dan will be missed, a decent player and good pro.

    I think the new guys sound like the club actually has a plan and to be fair they did last season and more or less saw it through.

  18. on 24 May 2019 at 1:24 pm18can't be arsed

    ?’hol
    apologies for the night long waffle
    but
    counting cows was similar to what i was doing anyway
    but thankfully it didn’t work as a nod off technique

    i was sat in four layers , hat and hood up
    in a cow shed providing a bit of an alarm service
    for several cows that are calving
    so the main man could get a night’s sleep

    so
    that fleshes out
    the frankly already ridiculous notion
    of me playing tunes on a football blog
    to nobody
    whilst nipping on homemade freeze distilled carrot wine
    .
    .
    .
    it takes all sorts
    ?
    .
    UP THE ARSENAL

  19. on 24 May 2019 at 2:00 pm19can't be arsed

    interestingly
    the first voice the calves hear is the main man’s
    so it’s imprinted on them
    except for one or two wee critters
    over the years
    who entered the world
    when i was there on my own playing tunes
    who i’m sure are now wandering about distraught
    wondering why Joey Ramone has abandoned them

  20. on 24 May 2019 at 9:07 pm20Silly Second Yella

    poor fella

    ocd plus the wheelchair

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBEubQxeW94

  21. on 24 May 2019 at 10:14 pm21bt8

    The headline says Poccetiny was making a joke but there doesn’t seem to be much humor of the funny kind any place in this story.

    https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11945/11727756/mauricio-pochettino-upsets-real-madrid-with-training-base-joke

    B.I.Z.A.R.R.E.

  22. on 25 May 2019 at 7:32 am22Dexter

    The dudes currently running Stans cash cow have got their work cut out this summer…

    Cech, Ospina, Lichtsteiner, Ramsey, Welbeck are all leaving, while we have a few that could (Or is that should?) be moved on…

    As well as all those potential and confirmed outgoings, Raul, Vinai and Unai will need to bring in a number of additions…

    A back up GK, a 1st choice CB, LB, central midfielder and a wide forward.

    That’s gonna cost in excess of 100m easy, in this crazy, obscene vulture capitalists wet dream of a society we live in (ooh, bit of politics this time of a Saturday morning?!) Plus wages and parasite (oops I mean agents) fees..

    Given how we “only” have £40 million to spend apparently, that suggests we either…

    Will be looking for free agents and/or kids; promoting from within from our youth ranks, recouping money by selling whoever we can get big fees for (anyone, but Leno, Laca, Lucas, Auba and the promising young players is fine with me) , or we won’t actually do so much business and Emery will keep faith with players who have let him down, shown themselves not to be up to the job…

    We’ve been linked with so many players, as you’d expect… but if Emery is not backed adequately then he may well become frustrated and end up leaving before he’s had a chance to make his mark in the club. I really like him, think he is ideal to replace Wenger, but needs time and funding to do his thing!

    UTA

  23. on 25 May 2019 at 9:25 am23OsakaMatt

    Dexter,

    Of those roles, only Nelson out
    wide and possibly AMN in a CM
    role seem coverable by young
    players. And that would be asking
    a lot of AMN. Calum as a back-up
    DM might do.

    I’ve heard Emi put forward as the
    back-up keeper but I just can’t see
    it myself.

    Something’s gotta give and I’m pretty
    sure it won’t be Stan.

    My worst case guess is we make do and
    mend with Nacho, Kos, Kola and Mus
    staying in defence and just buy a wide
    player. I’m hope I’m wrong.

  24. on 25 May 2019 at 10:38 am24Dexter

    Matt

    That is a depressing as fuck scenario!!

    There may be one or two surprises in terms of youth players being promoted as well as those you mention. I’ve said before, if money isn’t made available to who ever the coach is, then we should just blood the kids, play em regardless!

    But that would require a shed load of patience from all involved at Araenal. So is unlikely to ever happen!

  25. on 25 May 2019 at 11:40 am25OsakaMatt

    Yeah, it depressed me as I
    wrote it 🙂
    I like what I’ve seen of Eddie
    and Willock. And I like ESR
    too. Sako has been getting
    rave reviews and I hope one
    or two can step up. Even better
    if we could suddenly produce
    the next TA6 !

  26. on 25 May 2019 at 12:45 pm26North Bank Ned

    Dexter@22, fyi, Cech, Ospina, Lichtsteiner, Ramsey, Welbeck add up to £410,000 a week in wages. Mkhi would add £120,000 to that.

    OM@23: Martinez needs to be playing regularly to learn his trade. Would he get enough games as the Cup keeper? There is also Matt Macey out on loan.

  27. on 25 May 2019 at 1:09 pm27bt8

    The sudden appearance of the next TA6 would actually not depress me a jot, Matt. 🙂

  28. on 25 May 2019 at 1:37 pm28OsakaMatt

    Ned,
    Yes, I agree with you on Emi.
    What worries me is that he hasn’t
    been able to hold his place on
    some loans.

    bt8,
    a nice thought isn’t it 🙂
    be especially timely with this
    looking like Kos’s last game for
    us.

  29. on 25 May 2019 at 1:43 pm29OsakaMatt

    Seems Danny has gone to
    Baku with the team. We’re
    allowed 12 on the bench so
    I expect him to nick a late
    winner off his ear.
    Then he, Cech and Kos can
    ride off into the sunset on
    a high. Course Danny would
    probably fall off the horse and
    injure himself. Maybe a sturdy
    Ox would be safer.
    Though our previous Ox wasn’t
    very sturdy at all come to think
    of it.

  30. on 25 May 2019 at 4:05 pm30Dexter

    I think Holding could be our new TA6!

    Matt…. you’re probably bang on the money with all that about Danny next week! Here’s hoping!

  31. on 25 May 2019 at 5:26 pm31can't be arsed

    holding out for a new donkey ?

    *rolls up sleeves*

  32. on 25 May 2019 at 5:49 pm32Dexter

    Hehe!

    The ballers Holding….

  33. on 25 May 2019 at 5:53 pm33Dexter

    The barman’s Willie Young…

  34. on 25 May 2019 at 6:44 pm34Dexter

    For those of you watching in black and white, Arsenal are wearing the purple and mustard kit…

  35. on 25 May 2019 at 7:02 pm35TTG

    The economics of football have changed with the amortisation of fees and the size of wages. As Ned points out the departure of several higher earners ( especially those with no resale value) will reduce our wage bill substantially and if we can replace them with players whose resale value will increase and who are on much lower value wages the financial position will improve substantially. Having said that it needs to because the club has been woefully mismanaged.
    I hear strong whispers that Wednesday will see Kosclelny’s final appearance for us( I’d like him to stay for another year) but we should look to move on those who are paid more than they are worth eg, Elneny, Mustafi and Xhaka.
    My sense among reasonable Gooners is that they’d love to see Generation X given a go and we might see Nelson, Saka, Smith Rowe Willock, and Ballard given promotion and others like Nketiah and Amaechi and John- Jukes given enterprising loan deals to learn their trade.
    Under a Kroenke backed (haha) regime we need to aspire to a Dortmund model of spotting developing talent and selling on intelligently. A bloke called Wenger did this brilliantly for the first ten years of his tenure.
    As for Wednesday the ability to field twelve on the bench makes it certain that we will see Danny Welbeck named and Im sure Saka will go as well

  36. on 25 May 2019 at 7:09 pm36TTG

    Tomorrow it is thirty years since Anfield 89. I’m sure all Gooners will drink a toast somewhere

  37. on 25 May 2019 at 7:27 pm37Dexter

    Wow! Thanks TTG for the reminder

    30years ago tomorrow I was in Manchester just down the road from Anfield! Listening intently on my mates car stereo as we drove down south after my 1st (bonkers) year at Uni! What an amazing and fantastically drug fuelled trip that was!!

  38. on 25 May 2019 at 7:56 pm38Silly Second Yella

    beware of Giroud!

    his blood is blue

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9CgEExsxi8

  39. on 26 May 2019 at 2:18 am39OsakaMatt

    Good luck to Pleguezuelo who is
    off to Twente it seems.
    The informative Jeorge reckons
    Ballad and Medley are our aspiring
    CBs. Would have a nice musical
    ring to it as a partnership.

  40. on 26 May 2019 at 2:47 am40OsakaMatt

    30 years and I don’t think a win
    has ever meant as much since.
    It’d been 18 long and mostly lean
    years at the time, but then with
    one sweet finish The Mighty
    Arsenal were back.
    Georgie Graham, I salute you
    ???????????

  41. on 26 May 2019 at 3:48 am41OsakaMatt

    Valencia beat Barca in the Spanish
    Cup. Gabriel and Coquelin started,
    Tommy V was on the bench and
    unused as was Umtiti (noted as
    an absurd rumour of a 60m bid
    by The Arsenal has surfaced).

    As we beat Valencia handily and
    Barca won the league, we are the
    best team in Spain.

  42. on 26 May 2019 at 4:20 am42bt8

    Indeed, Matt. Ballad and Medley sound like they have the potential to be quite a harmonic pairing. Can we find a Fanfare for cover?

  43. on 26 May 2019 at 7:18 am43OsakaMatt

    A Fanfare at cover would be a
    nice change from the Lament we
    have now.
    We’ve been missing the high notes
    in our own aria all season 🙂

  44. on 26 May 2019 at 8:19 am44TTG

    OM
    Good point re Valencia. It underlines the fact that the PL is much stronger than the other European leagues. Europe won’t like the balance of power shifting but all the top teams are here now. Given the financial strength of the Premier League that is not likely to change anytime soon.
    A European Super League based on football strength would look a bit Anglo-centric at present

  45. on 26 May 2019 at 8:50 am45North Bank Ned

    Good luck to Julio Pleguezuelo in Holland. At 22, he needs to be kicking on in his career and hasn’t made the first-team breakthrough with us so it make sense for him to go where he thinks he will get regular football. Jorge Bird suggests there could be a large cohort of youngster’s following Pleguezuelo out the door. https://arsenalyouth.wordpress.com/2019/05/11/gilmour-departs-which-other-youngsters-could-leave-arsenal-this-summer/

  46. on 26 May 2019 at 9:22 am46OsakaMatt

    An interesting read thanks Ned.

    Sheaf, Macey and Bramell would
    be the ones I knew at least
    something about. Cohen was a
    nice story but I imagine he and
    others can all find clubs.
    I had heard Macey was doing ok
    at Plymouth but I’m not going to
    disagree with Jeorge !

  47. on 26 May 2019 at 9:39 am47OsakaMatt

    A current super league based
    on revenue would be even more
    lopsided.

    It’s a rich mans world 🙁

  48. on 26 May 2019 at 9:45 am48OsakaMatt

    I understand it’s always been a
    rich mans world, I’m just moaning
    about the utter predictability of
    it all.

  49. on 26 May 2019 at 2:48 pm49Cynic

    Funnily enough, the four teams that made the biggest profits in English football for 2017/18 are the four teams taking part in this week’s European finals.

  50. on 26 May 2019 at 5:06 pm50OsakaMatt

    Didn’t even have to lurk for
    the half ton

  51. on 26 May 2019 at 5:43 pm51Goonerholic

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

  52. on 26 May 2019 at 7:06 pm52TTG

    Ned
    A question
    Would Bielik be considered as a home-grown player considering the age he joined at and the time he has been with us?
    I don’t think we will keep Chambers and Bielik but Chambers is home-grown and balances the squad even though he would fetch in a bigger fee than Bielik. Personally I would keep both and sell Elneny and Xhaka. Chambers can cover all across the back four and in midfield .

  53. on 26 May 2019 at 7:15 pm53TTG

    In this flurry of activity I note Kante is expected to miss the final after getting injured in training yesterday. He will be a loss to them . If only we can nobble Hazard now!

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