Arsenal F.C

[DS3]

Yeah, tricky FA cup tie at Oxford but Arteta got the team together with the subs on the field, second half. Oxford attempted to shut the game down like Newcastle recently, wasting time and fouling, and it was bitterly cold...but...the starting eleven should have seen that coming but they were not up to fighting the first half. A bad sign and there has been much discussion about the need for many squad players to move on (loan or transfer in the summer window) if we want to seriously compete.

Really annoying Arsenal have not yet quite yet finalized new additions during this winter window. I do not blame Edu or Arteta as I think it all down to Shakhtar Donetsk being difficult...but until we get the Mudryk signing sorted (or not) we can't proceed with other players. I know the fan base is getting unsettled and therefore I sense the team might be also unsettled which really is not a good thing before the Spurs game. As it is many Premier League teams will already be featuring new players they have acquired in the winter window. Very annoying.

If we had already made some signings, I believe the team would have been psychologically boosted and really ready to face Spurs..but I now have the feeling that we might be on low ebb and a draw under the circumstances might be the expected result.

I really hope I am proven wrong!

 

[DS3]

Epic derbies this weekend with Man City playing Man United today and then Arsenal at Spurs on Sunday. I want Arsenal to thrash Spurs but this has been an odd week for Arsenal, the fan base and perhaps the players….and it could affect the team.

UK Arsenal fans have been fighting on blogs and vlogs all week about the Mudryk transfer. Most want Mudryk to play for Arsenal but many are angry at the length of time the deal taking. Interest in Mudryk was stated 6 months ago and that should have given the club months to have ironed out details - after all they could communicate with Shakhtar Donetsk as it is another league.

The other issue being we also need midfield back up and a new striker - we have no back up for Nketiah or Partey. Fans are being given no idea if the club will also at least acquire a midfielder. So there are endless arguments going on about the fee for Mudryk, the time the deal is taking and the lack of cover to really compete for the title or even top four. Many are demanding to know why we are not signing Tielemans for midfield and Zaha from Palace as a striker just to supplement the squad for the next few months – and both for half the price of Mudryk as they are out of contract.

A lot of the tension around the club could be relieved if for example today Arsenal announced they had closed the Mudryk deal ahead of the Spurs game...but as it is, no news yet today. And for anyone who does not believe the squad is not troubled you have also had some agents in Ukraine stupidly claiming that Mudryk will be starting straight away at Arsenal as Martinelli has been playing badly after the World Cup, that Martinelli’s position is under threat.

I am trying to stay neutral but have to admit I have been getting somewhat angry and I am concerned that the team will not be going into the Spurs games as focused as they could have been or should be.

As things stand (like so many Arsenal fans) I am really hoping that a Mudryk announcement is made prior to the Spurs game or this is going to be a real test of Arteta’s management. As it is, it is not just the North London Derby but the fact that both Saka and Saliba have four yellow cards – they receive another in this game and they will be suspended against Man United. Pile the Mudryk transfer soap opera on top and things are getting a little stressed to say the least.

A lot of things for the squad to be dealing with and we can’t forget this is still a really young team.

 

[DS3]

And now it is being reported (not 100% confirmed) that Chelsea have flown to Poland and closed a deal to hijack Mudryk...that he has agreed to the deal as well as the club.

Fans are truly effing furious at how the club have handled this and if this is proven correct, Edu and Arteta better have a spectacular Plan B up their sleeves ot there are going to be a lot of disillusioned folks.

 

[rucucu16]

MUdryk has just been bought by chelsea for 100 million euros.
A pity that it does not come to the arsenal, it would have been a great reinforcement

 

[EDSON 138]

Today there will be a leader's show at the London classic to confirm favoritism in the Premier League

 

[DS3]

Brilliant win for Arsenal at Spurs (first win at the new Tottenham Hotspur ground) and it completes the double for 2022/23.

Fantastic way to start to put the Mudryk transfer debacle behind the team...let's hope the moves in the from now on in the January window provide the cover we need and inspire the team further. Could not have asked for a better result!

 

[VladB850]

The next 5 games could be crucial for the title hopes. Arsenal will face Tottenham, Manchester United and City + Brentford that provided a couple of surprises this season. If they manage to get at least 10 points from these 5 games I think that they will have a good chance win the title

Considering that City lost yesterday we can say that after first game Arsenal got 6 points already.

 

[Shooter74]

Arsenal, champion in 2023....finally...

 

[VladB850]

Arsenal, champion in 2023....finally...

I hope that will be but it's too early to start to celebrate. It's mid season only

 

[pasha poltava]

Arsenal have not won the Premier League for a long time, now they have a great chance to do it!!!

 

[valeski 28]

Good morning.Remarkable performance by Arsenal in the Derby.Thomas,now, is a fantastic midfielder both defending and attacking.When he played in Spain,he was just a regular player,sometimes on the bench.Nice to see his great level this season.Ramsdale was the main season why Tottenham could not score yesterday.Superb saves!.The weekend was perfect because Manchester City could not win at Old Trafford.

 

[DS3]

Good morning.Remarkable performance by Arsenal in the Derby.Thomas,now, is a fantastic midfielder both defending and attacking.When he played in Spain,he was just a regular player,sometimes on the bench.Nice to see his great level this season.Ramsdale was the main season why Tottenham could not score yesterday.Superb saves!.The weekend was perfect because Manchester City could not win at Old Trafford.

This.

Thomas Partey has gained general recognition this season as being the best midfield player in the Premier League. In fact the 'spine' of the team is peerless. Ramsdale, directly fronted by Saliba and Gabriel, then Partey, Odegaard and Jesus - let alone the supporting cast.

This is why so many fans were frustrated at the time wasted on the Mudryk deal. Most prefered efforts and resources to have been spent securing backup for Partey in midfield. That and another striker (not winger) were minimum requirements to compete. Sambi Lokonga showed promise but since has fizzled. Partey is world class so everyone knows he will be next to impossible to replace. But he gets injured and missed 14 games last season. If he gets injured any run at the title (even top four) could be jeopardized. But it looks like Edu and Arteta might not have a serious Plan B for this transfer window (not sure if you are aware but the talk is now Arsenal want to sign Declan Rice from West Ham next summer).

We were linked with Danilo from Palmeiras for months but now Nottingham Forest have bought him cheaply (17 million). At this point I feel common sense dictates we make a move for Youri Tielemans from Leicester. It would not be a like for like backup for Partey but he is a good player, could be bought for around 15 million (I believe) as his contract is finished at the end of season. So, it could make good business sense - we keep him for 6 months and if he doesn't fit the team, then sell him in the summer window and make a profit as his current valuation is still rated at around 40 million euros.

But, as we all know...we need a striker as well as a midfielder....

 

[Bambini7777]

what an Arsenal, well done, I hope they finally become champions and what a beautiful game Arsenal shows

 

[rucucu16]

Good game against Tottenham, it serves to stretch the distance of points with Manchester City a little more.

A pity about the frustrated signing of Mudryk, a lot of time was spent trying to achieve it and the result was not as expected. I think we need a replacement for Thomas Partey and for Gabriel Jesus.

 

[Mahmudov041]

Hello
I can say that "Arsenal" football club played very poorly last season.
but I'm seeing a bit of a resurgence this season

 

[waitandblead123]

This season, Arsenal has been a pleasant surprise. Mikel Arteta did a great job with the team and I think they will finish this season with a win. I look forward to success in the Champions League next season

 

[vivili171]

Arsenal is playing too much this season and it's with a good difference for vice leader

 

[nerobs9]

I think they found their game

 

[heguli82]

This year Arsenal`s team has good thing going on. You can see 11+ players, with someone still developing, others at their prime time, all enjoying every minute of playing. And its creates itself many good things

 

[DS3]

Arsenal fans very happy the club have moved ahead and signed Leandro Trossard from Brighton.

In fact most would argue this is the very direction the club should have taken this January window in the first place.

Trossard is Brighton's best player (no one really sure why he and manager De Zerbi fell out) and their leading goal scorer and contributor this season. He is two footed and can play left and right wings, as a number ten or even a false nine - so he can rotate with Saka, Martinelli or Odegaard as he is so versatile. Trossard only cost 21 million pounds with add ons -making the Champions League or winning the Premier League which if either happen means Arsenal make multiples of his transfer deal. The best thing of all, no need to bed into the Premier League and historically he thrives playing against the PL top teams.

In fact the lesson here is that a top club such as Arsenal does not have to chase the 'marquee' player every time they go to the transfer market. Teams such as Brighton have a fantastic scouting system which unearths gems for a few million pounds, such as Mitoma this season. Leeds have also signed players such as Gnonto (an absolute sensation) and Sinisterra both for very low fees. However for any 'star' player, even if they have little experiences such as Mudryk, teams are now asking 100 million Euros which is ridiculous.

In fact some of you might not yet know but Arsenal are expected to sign another player this weekend, the Polish international Jakob Kiwior, who has reportedly flown to London to meet the club take a medical etc. Kiwior playes for Spezia in Italy and although he is almost unknown to UK fans he could be an important signing.

As noted he plays for the Polish national team (was at the World Cup) is 22 years old and another versatile player. Officially he is defender but he has been playing as a defensive midfielder for Spezia. This season there has been a real buzz around him in Italy. West Ham tried to sign him at the end of December but Spezia refused. Then Dortmund made a bid but they were turned down and finally Paulo Maldini, the great Italian defender who is now technical Director for AC Milan pushed the club to sign him and they were also turned down. So, if the deal goes through it would be great Kiwior has chosen to move to Arsenal.

Kiwior's fee is expected to be similar to Trossard's (with add ons) which will mean that Arsenal have picked up a versatile player to relieve the attacking players and another which will provide cover for the defense and even Thomas Partey (if Arsenal play him as Spezia have done)...both for less than half the price of the Mudryk deal. Even if the Kiwior signing is made, there are also persistent rumors that Arsenal are also trying to sign a young Spanish player as well.

So Trossard on board and apparently Kiwior on the verge of signing and Arsenal will have really provided some much needed squad depth. Though the Mudryk deal fell through, I honestly feel though these signings are less glamorous, they will end up being more beneficial for the club long term.

 

[rucucu16]

I have read that the agreement for Jakub Kiwior is almost closed, it would be done for 25 million euros and there would be very little left to make it official.

On the other hand, I really like the arrival of Trossard, he is a great player and I think Aesenal moved well and took advantage of his fight with De Zerbi. Since he has not played since December 31, just when he played against Arsenal.

And lastly, tomorrow there is a difficult match against Manchester United, which had come from 6 consecutive victories until its tie with Crystal palace on the last date. I hope Arsenal can get a good result tomorrow.

 

[DS3]

I have read that the agreement for Jakub Kiwior is almost closed, it would be done for 25 million euros and there would be very little left to make it official.

On the other hand, I really like the arrival of Trossard, he is a great player and I think Aesenal moved well and took advantage of his fight with De Zerbi. Since he has not played since December 31, just when he played against Arsenal.

And lastly, tomorrow there is a difficult match against Manchester United, which had come from 6 consecutive victories until its tie with Crystal palace on the last date. I hope Arsenal can get a good result tomorrow.

Did you see Mudryk today playing at Liverpool? He came on for about 38 minutes and was a real live wire - I think he is going to be a superstar. It's a shame we did not sign him, but, I honestly believe the final decision was taken away from him and so I am not going to hate on him. Besides which two or even three signings suits Arsenal's needs more at this point.

Yeah, Man United tomorrow and it is going to be a battle. We need revenge for the only defeat so far at Old Trafford, as even in that game we played better and had our opening goal wrongly disallowed (the refs association admitted it later and apologized but that didn't give Arsenal back any points). However, Thomas Party wasn't playing that game, we should be at full strength....so its COYG!

 

[valeski 28]

Good morning.It is nice to read Trossard will play in Arsenal.Excellent player and there is no doubt he will be very helpful to the team.
Look forward to watching an exciting match today and ,of course,with a new victory.

 

[Spheremaster]

Jakub Kiwior ( defender ) is on the verge of completing a £21million move from Spezia to Arsenal and is expected to watch Sunday's game against Manchester United from the stands.

 

[DS3]

Wow, what a win – the most significant one of the season.

Ironic, because you could not claim its was Arsenal’s best play (even sloppy at times) but the stats show how we dominated possession (60%) shots, touches in the opponent's penalty area etc. and we swamped them for the final twenty minutes and forced the winner.

Eddie Nketiah, what can you say? He has now dispelled any doubt he can play at the top level and is exceeding all expectations. It is not just the goal scoring but his work rate off the ball (obviously inspired by Gabriel Jesus). Saka was his brilliant self and, oh my god, Zinchenko stamped himself all over the game yet again. His play is now next level. Zinchenko roams the entire pitch as a second play maker which as a left back which makes him un-markable – the other defenders rotating into a back three as soon as he advances. Then a great little cameo from Trossard where he had a hand in the goal and held possession beautifully as the clock ticked down.

So, halfway through the season with 50 points already in the bag (a record) and ten more goals scored than The Invincibles in that season. No, nothing ‘won’ yet, but Arsenal have set down a marker about their quality and the way the squad has developed that no one can dispute.

One final thing. A big ‘ups’ to Lisandro Martinez at the end of the game. I believe he was the last United player left on the field after the final whistle because he went out of his way to warmly congratulate and hug the Arsenal players on their win - a great show of sportsmanship.